In Good Company
by fool.0
Summary: This will sound a little ridiculous, no matter how Sasuke phrases it. "I see dead people" is embarrassingly tacky, and "I'm half-spirit" seems like something Sakura might say when she's stoned sky high. So he settles for a shrug.
1. One: Wayward Yolk

**Author's Notes: **I wrote this mostly because I don't think Sasuke gets to be a teenager enough in the series. Also, the snakes from _Madame d'Aulnoy_ were such a huge hit that I decided to bring them back with a lot more screentime.

This picks up right after Sasuke decides that Orochimaru has taught him everything. Sasuke decides to kill Orochimaru for a slightly different reason in a slightly different way (none of the sharingan shenanigans, or the Sasuke-_absorbed_-Orochimaru because he's very obviously a goddamn sponge), and actually comes back to Konoha.

_Warnings:_ Strong language (adolescent Sasuke), some wet dreams (I repeat: adolescent Sasuke), homosexuality, heterosexuality, you get the point. It's teenagers. Teenagers with access to weapons and explosives.

Let me know what you think.

* * *

**In Good Company  
**_One: Wayward Yolk_

Sasuke is drinking the yolk of his second egg—raw because Sasuke won't admit it, but he really doesn't know how _else_ to eat them, his mother never got around to teaching him those things—when he hears the gagging.

He puts the glass down with a decided thunk and cracks his third egg against the edge of the mug. Briefly, momentarily, his Sharingan flares into life. There's nobody in the room, Sasuke knows for sure, so he pays it no mind. It's his imagination, he reasons, because for the past three hours he has tolerated Naruto and Sakura's incessant prattle, and he can _still_ hear the echo of their conversation ringing in his ears (Maybe you _shouldn't_ cut your hair, Naruto, Sakura pointed out, You might look good with a short ponytail. Really, Sakura? Because _Iruka_-sensei grew out his hair when he was young, and I wanted to—and where is Kakashi-sensei? He's so late...)

Sasuke rubs the bridge of his nose, trying not to think too much about the headache that's starting, a familiar _thud-thud-thud_ in his ears. He had figured, for the first few days at least, that Sakura and Naruto becoming friends would be a good thing. But now, they're eating his ears off, not giving him even the few, tense moments of silence that used to define their relationship. Now...

Now, he has a day off, courtesy of Hatake Kakashi—who never showed up, Sasuke thinks with a scowl—so he's left with nothing to do. He could have trained with Naruto, but that would also involve paying for the inordinate amount of ramen Naruto would demand afterwards for lunch.

But then again—

Sasuke accidentally breaks an egg in his anger at the memory of it.

Then again, Naruto wasn't too concerned when Sasuke said no to lunch plans, because..."_Neji_," the blond had mumbled under his breath, and _smiled_. And isn't _that_ just precious. Naruto and Hyuga goddamn Neji.

"Spec-fucking-tacular," Sasuke grumbles and flicks off shards of egg shell into the sink. He licks at the drops of yolk on his fingers and hears it again; the muffled gagging. He glances over his shoulder at the sound, and frowns when he catches a glimpse of his living room; overflowing with scrolls, weapons, maps, and clothes. And Ichiraku ramen take-out boxes.

He returns to the eggs. It's not as if he _wants_ to eat ramen with the moron.

And besides, Sasuke repeats to himself decisively as he heads towards his bathroom, there's laundry to do. An entire pile of it, occupying a corner of his room, and even Naruto, the observational king that he is, has noticed that Sasuke has worn the same shirt for the past three days. He glances briefly at the offending KONOHA SUMMER FESTIVAL 2002 shirt, speckled with mud now, and looking so old and tattered that Sakura said it was a crime to even own it, but it can't be that bad, probably could get another evening out of it...

Sasuke nudges the door to his bathroom open with his foot, and places the cup of egg yolk in the sink. The bathroom is so small it doesn't even have a counter, only a cabinet behind the mirror. He keeps his eyes on the yolk as he drops his pants and stands in front of the toilet bowl. Eating the egg raw smells a little strange, sure, but he needs his protein, and he really doesn't want to waste time making something out of an egg. His mother used to do that for him more than a decade ago...

Growling under his breath—goddamn son of a bitch Itachi took even the joy of eggs out of his miserable fucking existence—Sasuke pushes down the flush with his foot and zips up before snatching the cup from the sink again.

He tips the cup to swallow a mouthful of yolk, determined now. Nap. That's the game plan for the day, he thinks as he finishes off his breakfast. Wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand, he steps into his only slightly less tiny bedroom, thinking that maybe takeout tonight won't be so bad—

"Doesn't this kid have _any_ hygiene?"

"Punk didn't even wash his hands."

And there is no possible way that Sasuke didn't hear that, because _it's right in front of him_. He stops instinctively to avoid crashing into the person who _should_ be in front of him—but isn't, he panics—and his foot tangles in a stray shirt on the floor. "Fuc—" He's falling face-forward even before he can finish the word, dredges of egg yolk flying out of the cup to land on the carpet, clothes, and on the bed sheets. He's in a defensive stance with a kunai held up a second later, crouching low to the ground. Sasuke breathes through his nose slow, deep, and easy, because there are people here, and he can't see them.

_Steady Uchiha_, he tells himself and grips the kunai tighter, knuckles white and bones nearly creaking from the pressure of it. He scans the room and his eyes land on the yellow stain of egg yolk in front of him, accusing, proof of the voices he's heard. Because no matter how cluttered his home gets, Sasuke never trips. He hears laughter, and then:

"That's right, kid. Fear the wayward yolk."

"What is he defending against?"

"Do you see anything?"

"No...Odd."

Silence again. Sasuke spins around, heart racing. He _heard_ that. There are voices, three—four distinct voices. And not his neighbors' either. Couldn't be his neighbors, because the voices are right _there_—one coming from behind him, one from next to him, one ahead of him, and another still, from the door. He can't smell anything other than the usual filth of his apartment, can't hear anything aside from the noises outside and his neighbor upstairs. And he can't feel any chakra besides the ones he always keeps tabs on: Naruto, a bright, fierce flare somewhere in the center of town; Sakura, steady and strong from outside the village; and Kakashi, sinewy and lightning quick in the Hokage Tower. Nothing else. Sasuke's legs are starting to cramp with all the adrenaline now, and he shifts his position a little, breath quickening.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Beats me."

"Where are you?" Sasuke hisses and hates himself for it. _Never call out an enemy_, Kakashi's voice whispers in the back of his mind, just as Sasuke inches towards his living room where his weapons are scattered. _Never reveal your weakness_. But he can't see, _he can't see anything._ "Show yourselves."

"Okay. So now he's lost it." It's the voice from right next him.

"_Where are you_?" Sasuke snarls, and it takes only one-hundredth of a second for his eyes to bleed into Sharingan, such a knee-jerk reaction that he doesn't even notice it until his senses become painfully heightened, vision tinged red at the edges, the headache a loud thunder in his ears now.

And then he sees them, lounging casually at different spots in his room: One sitting on his bed, leaning forward to look at him, dark black hair spilling over his shoulders. Another standing next to him, towering almost. Sasuke looks up from his crouch, sees an amused smirk and white eyebrows raised high. A third—is that Naruto? No, can't be—sitting at his desk, curiously peering over the scrolls laid out there. And a fourth, "Sarutobi-sensei," Sasuke mumbles and instinctively abandons his defensive crouch, dropping to one knee, head bowed respectfully. "Hokage-sama." And he stays like that for a split second before it hits him, the utter absurdity of that, so he pushes himself to his feet again. "What?"

"Ah," Sarutobi mutters, looking a little surprised. The expression vanishes quickly. "Sasuke, you can see me."

It talked, Sasuke thinks and he reflexively takes a step back, then another, foot sliding on egg yolk on the floor. Sarutobi's eyes crinkle into a smile—he's dead, he shouldn't be here—and he gestures at the people around the room. "Forgive us for dropping in like this unannounced, but we were taking a stroll through Konoha, and I wanted to introduce my friends here—"

The door bell cuts him off, shrill and insistent in the apartment, and Sarutobi falls silent. Sasuke flinches at the sound, but keeps his eyes trained on Sarutobi (dead, dead, dead, dead). There's a split second, and then loud banging. "Sasuke! Open up, or I'll kick the door down!"

Naruto.

"Visitor," says the man with white hair and jerks a thumb over his shoulder towards the door. "Doesn't sound too happy."

"I mean it, Sasuke! You better open this door, or so help me God—" Sasuke inches towards the door. This is a trap, an illusion. _Itachi_, a voice whispers in his mind. Which means Naruto is in danger, so he has to get Naruto out of here, because the idiot will kick the door down if Sasuke doesn't open it. "—you're in that dump of yours because—"

Itachi is here, and how did he manage to penetrate Konoha so easily? How had Sasuke walked into the illusion so blindly, and what kind of illusion was this anyways? Sasuke edges out of the bedroom, eyes still trained on the Hokage and the other three. He takes a few short steps across the living room and fumbles behind him for the door knob, hands sweating, straining with the effort to keep from visibly shaking. "—Sasuke, you jerk, stop ignoring me. If you're reading porn—" There's a loud gasp as Sasuke opens the door. "Oh my _God_, Kakashi-sensei lent you his porn didn't he?"

Not even bothering to turn around, Sasuke hisses, "Not now, dead last. Go away."

"What the hell? You're blowing _me_ off for _porn_?"

"Idiot, I mean it. Leave, go get the Hokage—" And he's about to close the door when Naruto shoves it back up against him. The door hits Sasuke square in the back, knocking the breath out of him. And Naruto is inside now, hair windswept with wisps of straw-blond strands floating around his face, within reach of any possible attack trajectory coming from the bedroom, Sasuke thinks, and ignores Naruto's angry "What is your problem?" in favor of pushing the blond back up against the door, using his body to protect him. It must be instinct—all those years of saving the idiot's ass—because Sasuke bites down the reflexive need to cover his own ass and leaves himself so terribly, horribly open to attack as he stares down the intruders. "Sasuke, what the _hell_ are you—"

"Shut up, you fucking moron." Sasuke reaches behind him, feeling for the kunai holster on Naruto's thigh, still watching the people peering at them curiously from his bedroom door.

"Stop _groping_ me, you pervert!" Naruto slaps Sasuke's hand away from his body and knees Sasuke in the small of his back. But still Sasuke holds his ground—_save him, protect him, Naruto_—and his Sharingan swirls so fast he can feel the back of his eyes tingling with it.

Naruto is in line of fire from the intruders, and Sasuke needs to protect him. One, two, three, four quick hand seals, a bite to his finger, blood drawn and smeared into a semicircle, and there's a protective wall around Naruto. There's 2.35 feet from the front door to Sasuke's weapons; scattered on the coffee table. Jump, land, crouch, and he has his sword drawn in one hand, kunai holster in the other. Judging by the chakra signatures of these people, they're powerful. He stands no chance against them. "Naruto," Sasuke says slowly. "Leave. Get the Hokage—"

"Naruto," one of the men breathes out and pushes out into the living room. He hesitates for a split second, and then takes a shaky step towards Naruto. And the barrier around Naruto isn't strong enough, will never be strong enough against a man whose chakra is making Sasuke's hair stand on edge.

"Stay away from him," he hisses, drawing himself up as tall as he can without abandoning his stance. The man looks surprised for a moment and stops.

"Excuse me?" the man asks, sounding amused, as if he's humoring Sasuke.

"One step closer to him, an _inch_, and I'll kill you," Sasuke snarls, and is surprised to hear the honesty in his own words. His blood is pounding now, thrumming through his veins in synch with the chant in his mind—_save him, protect him, Naruto, save him, protect him, get him away_—

"What the hell?" Naruto takes two short, easy steps around Sasuke, past the barrier, and begins to pick his way towards the kitchen, muttering under his breath—about pigs, Uchiha freaking Sasuke can't even clean up after himself, and is stoned, and reading porn to top it all off—

Sasuke watches, eyes widening in horror, because his apartment is so small, and Naruto is practically walking into the enemy's arms at this point. "Naruto, don't—" And Naruto walks _right through_ the man, breezing past him without even a glance. The man's body flickers once before becoming solid again. He looks down at himself for a split second, glances briefly at Sasuke with narrowed eyes before turning to follow Naruto into the kitchen. Sasuke lunges, killer's instinct so honed in him now that it's one, two, three kunais whistling towards the man's vital spots, the sword already drawn back to go right through his jugular, razor-sharp strings already between his fingers, lassoing around the man's torso and pulled back so roughly that it's sure to cut his body in half—

The kunais land with dull thuds to the ground, lodging themselves into the hardwood floor. His sword swings through the air, nearly toppling him from the unexpected lack of resistance—he'd expected a head to roll with the amount of power he put behind that swing—and his strings land pathetically by his feet, limp and not a trace of blood on them.

The man pauses in his trek towards the kitchen and turns to stare at Sasuke, an eyebrow raised. "Where are your manners?" He tugs on the white robes hanging on his frame, and rolls his shoulders a little. "Stop interfering."

Sasuke's palm starts pulsing with chakra—he has to kill him fast, quick, efficient, and what better way than this? He'll vaporize the man's heart for trying to get near Naruto—

"Enough, boy."

But it's already done, and the next instant the apartment is filled with noise; thousands and thousands of birds chirping, his veins throbbing with the amount of energy he's putting behind this attack. Sasuke focuses some of the chakra towards his eyes, sharpening the Sharingan even more: 1.2 steps to the right, and the man can escape the attack, but Sasuke will be prepared with a kunai; 0.34 steps to the left, and he can attack Sasuke at his weak spot, but Sasuke will take that hit and slam his fist through the enemy's heart anyway.

_This is an assassin's attack_, Kakashi's words floats into his head. _Use it when you want to kill_.

In the short sixteen years of his life, Sasuke has already used it effectively four times. This is the fifth—and the ball of chakra keeps growing, keeps sparkling and crackling with energy. He didn't even know he could make it so powerful—and Sasuke will be _damned_ if he misses this time.

The man's eyes widen slightly when Sasuke nearly disappears in a lunge towards him, pushing himself forward with chakra, eyes swirling an angry red. "I said, stay away from him."

"Sasuke, you freak, what the hell is all that nois—"

There's a soft, cold pressure on the back of his neck, at the knob of his spine, and suddenly, the chakra in his hand frizzles and falls silent, sending Sasuke sprawling into the ground, head making painful contact with the hardwood floor.

His vision fades into black just as he hears Naruto's surprised, "Sasuke!"

* * *

Kakashi is there when he wakes up.

"Naruto," Sasuke gasps and pushes himself up into a sitting position, eyes wild. "Where's Naruto? Is he all righ—"

And as if on cue, the door bursts open and the blond darts in. He's dressed in dark jeans and a black turtleneck, the sleeves of which are bunched up around his elbows. "You moron! Couldn't you have waited for me before you woke up? But no! You live in a dump, and I had to take out your trash and—"

"You took out the trash?"

"And did your laundry, the dishes, organized your scrolls in alphabetical order...," a voice pipes in. "The kid got on all fours and cleaned the whole damn apartment."

"Must be a nervous tic," someone else interjects.

Naruto's eyes are almost an ice-blue in his worry, and he frets his hands about, making odd gestures. "I didn't mean to—"

"You didn't do anything, Naruto," Kakashi cuts in softly. He puts a hand on Naruto's shoulder and edges him out towards the door. "Go tell the Hokage that there's nothing to worry about."

Naruto frowns and pushes Kakashi aside to walk back to Sasuke. "Are you sick? Was it the cursed seal—" Sasuke's hand comes up instinctively to cover the tattoo on his neck, and he digs his nails in, trying not to wince at the expression on Naruto's face.

"Cursed seal? What cursed seal?" a voice questions, and Sasuke swivels his head to his left where it came from.

"Those men," Sasuke breathes out. "They came for you..." Doesn't Naruto remember?

"There _were_ no men, Sasuke," Naruto says apologetically and waits for Sasuke's reaction with fearful eyes. There were no men, Sasuke repeats to himself and says it again just to be sure. But there's no time to feel surprised, much less look it, because the expression on Naruto's face—is that pity?—makes Sasuke smooth his features down.

He has enough problems up in his head. Hearing voices and seeing things would be the least of them. "Of course. I was just practicing."

"Oh, we were there all right," comes a taunting voice.

"You saw us, boy."

"Almost tried to kill me—"

"You're already dead, Namikaze—"

"Enough," comes Sarutobi's voice. "He can hear us."

Sasuke swallows down on the irrational fear crawling up his spine. "Naruto," Kakashi speaks again, patient. "That was an order. The Hokage, now, please."

The expression on Naruto's face makes even Kakashi's eyes soften, but the blond gets up anyway. He looks down at Sasuke, face going through so many different emotions it's hard for Sasuke to even keep up. They stare at each other for a few moments before Naruto raises his hand and slaps Sasuke upside the head. Hard. "What the—"

"Pull something like that on me again, Sasuke," Naruto seethes, voice low, "And I'll twist your balls off."

And then he's gone in a flash of blue, black, and gold. Sasuke raises a hand to rub gingerly at his head when he sees the bandages around his arm. The one he used for the Chidori. The swathes are thick, coming down from his elbow and wrapping around each of his fingers. Kakashi waits until he hears the loud bang of the front door before turning to look at Sasuke. "Well," he says politely, and Sasuke has been with Kakashi enough years to know exactly what that tone means. The last time Sasuke abused the Chidori—an unnecessary kill, one just for his ego, one that had put Sakura in danger—Kakashi had used the same voice to invite Sasuke to a training session. Sasuke had spent three days out cold in the hospital after that.

Kakashi watches as Sasuke plucks at the bandages, trying to reveal the damage he's done. The swaths falls gently from his hand and he winces at what he sees. There are angry, red track marks going all the way up his elbow, and his palm is actually scarred with deep, black lines.

"You blew the chakra pathways to your last two fingers because they couldn't take the load," Kakashi explains and leans against the reading table—which is spotless, Sasuke notices, and can't help but be impressed at Naruto's efficiency. "Your thumb, index and middle fingers are intact, so you'll be able to perform jutsus. Thanks to Sakura."

Sasuke flexes his fingers and nearly doubles over with the pain that shoots up his arm. He takes a few deep breaths until the fog clears from his vision. "Why are you here?"

"The entire village felt what you pulled, Uchiha" Kakashi says, amiable still. He pauses for a split second before saying, still so very polite it makes Sasuke's skin tingle in anticipation, "You should rest."

Kakashi pushes himself off the desk to walk out of the bedroom. Sasuke watches him with narrowed eyes. There has to be more, should be more—At the door, Kakashi turns, looking as if he just remembered something trivial. "Oh, and Sasuke, the Hokage recently told me the well on Monument Hill is empty. Refill it with water from the lake by tomorrow evening."

Sasuke can't help himself. "How?" he snaps, and winces the instant he says it.

Even with the mask, Sasuke can imagine Kakashi's smile. "A bucket, of course."

* * *

The well on Monument Hill is not a well. It is a decorative man-made pond; installed towards the end of the Third Hokage's reign in honor of the fallen warriors of the Great War.

Sasuke dumps out the water of the twenty-third bucket and stares at the small puddle by his feet. His left arm is aching, hanging limply by his side and heavy with bandages. His right palm has a small groove where the bucket's handle has dug into his skin. The lake, thankfully, is only two-hundred feet away from the foot of the hill.

_Kanaye_, he calls loudly in his mind. There is a stir of chakra, but the snake does not appear. "Son of a bitch," Sasuke growls under his breath. He raises his arms up in front of him and does a few quick seals, wincing when chakra runs down the overtaxed pathways of his left arm. There's a split second, and then a snake is rising to meet his gaze in front of him.

It's a black mamba, so gray and sleek it almost blends into the coming dawn. "Well, I better get rats out of this," Kanaye mumbles and slides up Sasuke's extended arm, giving him a quick bite on the back of his hand before wrapping lazily around his neck. Sasuke sucks at the puncture wound, scowling when he tastes something sweet.

"Stop biting me with poison," Sasuke hisses in snake tongue and scratches absentmindedly at Kanaye's underbelly.

"I'm hoping you'll die from it one of these days." Kanaye swivels his head around to take stock of his surroundings. "What? No battle?"

"No, _really_. You think?"

Kanaye's head snaps back and his teeth sinks into Sasuke's carotid. "Lots of poison in that bite," Kanaye mutters darkly. "What is it?"

"Help me heal," Sasuke mumbles, embarrassed at the request. But these are his snakes, and they've seen him in worse condition—after Orochimaru tortured him the first time, and when he limped back to Konoha, dragging Orochimaru's body behind him—so he swallows his pride and starts to undo the bandages. Kanaye slides onto his left arm and coils lightly around the wound, his tongue flickering out to taste the scars on Sasuke's palm. He's nearly four feet long, still a teenager in snake years, but when he wraps around Sasuke's arm, he covers nearly every inch of skin.

"Well," Kanaye mutters, and falls silent. Sasuke feels the careful, contemplative prod of snake chakra, cool and soothing against the burn under his skin.

Three hours later—when Sasuke is carrying his fifty-third bucket of water up the hill—Kanaye says, "I'm bored," and tightens his coil around Sasuke's arm.

"If you squeeze me any more, I'm going to gouge your testes off with a kunai," Sasuke snaps in human tongue—because he doesn't know how to say 'testes' in snake yet.

Kanaye, and all the other snakes, occupies a place in Sasuke's mind where they have access to his thoughts. So it's no surprise when Kanaye says in human tongue, sounding as amused as a snake can sound: "Testes, noun, part of the male reproductive system. Repeat after me." He pauses a split second to make sure he has Sasuke's attention before hissing out a long, vulgar sounding word.

It doesn't sound anything like testes. "Kunai," Sasuke mutters, still in human tongue, feeling his lips twitch, "Meet Kanaye's balls."

"Testes," Kanaye repeats, and hisses the word again, which is now longer and more vulgar than before. Sasuke ignores him, but when he goes downhill to refill the bucket, he makes sure to dump his left arm—and Kanaye—into the lake.

Kanaye bites him.

* * *

When he wakes up, Kanaye is nowhere in sight. His left arm is pounding, his legs are still cramped from the punishment of the day before, and the clock reads 10:07, which means he's late for training. Again.

Sasuke trudges into the bathroom and manages to get ready in ten minutes. When he opens the closet to pull out fresh clothes, he sees that the mess inside is completely gone and replaced with rows of neatly hung up pants, and shirts folded into perfect squares in perfect towers. "Such a fucking woman, dead last," Sasuke mutters under his breath, and pulls out a pair of pants and an old shirt that he may or may not have used to clean the kitchen counter with.

He doesn't have time to shave, so he scrubs angrily at stubble before strapping on his kunai holster. Somewhere in the apartment, he knows that Kanaye is lounging in a tight curl. It must be the snakes, Sasuke thinks. He's starting to become like them—languid, lazy, and entirely uninterested in doing anything with the twenty-four hours in a day.

Or maybe it's Kakashi's influence.

_Kanaye_, he calls out with his mind and doesn't hear anything. So he tries again, this time in snake tongue. "Kanaye."

"Here," Kanaye hisses back, and in the next instant he's crawling up to curl around Sasuke's injury again.

"I'm late," Sasuke mutters. "You should have woken me up."

"I was asleep too," Kanaye snaps and settles comfortably against Sasuke's skin. The healing begins again, soft, featherlight touches that makes his skin itch. "Keep me today too. I'll heal you."

"I thought you'd be tired," Sasuke says, and closes the door to the apartment behind him. The snake healed him all day long yesterday, and even through the night. He's halfway down the stairs when he realizes that maybe—just maybe—a few protective seals around his door won't be such a bad idea today. He walks back up to his apartment door to make the necessary hand seals.

"Don't underestimate me," Kanaye says, and pauses to watch Sasuke's seals. "You're getting paranoid."

"Let's not talk about that," Sasuke mumbles under his breath, and finishes the trap.

On his arm, Kanaye yawns widely, revealing two razor-sharp teeth. His tongue flickers out once, and then twice more before he asks, "You're meeting the Dog-Master today?"

Dog-Master in snake tongue means Kakashi. Sasuke's snakes have their own names for everyone in his life: Fox-Child for Naruto; Time-Witch for the Hokage; and Plum-Wine for Sakura. They haven't told Sasuke yet what they call him.

"As always," Sasuke mutters, and tries not to think about the fact that Shikamaru's team has already started their own independent missions. Because, Shikamaru has actually passed the chuunin exams—and Sasuke hasn't. Sasuke fingers the cursed seal on his neck automatically, scratching at it until the skin starts to tingle with feeling again.

"Fudo says that it's good that you still have a master." Kanaye shifts slowly on his arm, getting more comfortable, and falls silent again to heal. By the time Sasuke reaches the bridge, it is already 10:35, and Sakura has a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"One, you're late," she snarls when Sasuke ambles up to them. "Two, what were you thinking the other day with that stupid, stupid, _stupid_—"

Naruto joins in. "And he calls me a moron—"

"I can't believe you, Sasuke—"

"And I don't even get a 'thank you' for cleaning up his shit—"

"You cleaned up his apartment, Naruto? Oh, thank _God_, he lives like a pig—"

Naruto's angry blue gaze narrows and he points an accusing finger at Sasuke. "And look at what he's wearing today! _I did your laundry, you **ingrate**_—"

Sasuke wants to point out that Naruto is a moron, that he doesn't live like a pig, thank you very much—and that his apartment is still clean except for a few dishes rotting in his sink. Also, since this isn't the KONOHA FESTIVAL 2002 shirt, could they please stop complaining? But just as he's about to, Kakashi appears with a soft pop.

Immediately, Naruto and Sakura abandon their tirade against Sasuke and turns on Kakashi. "You're late—"

"By _three hours_—"

"_Once_, can't you be on time just _once_—"

Kakashi clears his throat. "There," he says, pausing for dramatic effect—or to actually come up with a decent excuse. Sasuke isn't sure which—"Was a toxic spill in the south end of the forest."

Sakura throws up her hands with a frustrated growl and turns to Naruto for backup. They console each other in their misery, shaking their heads and whispering some sort of archaic chant that Sasuke figures will probably deliver Kakashi's—and Sasuke's—soul to Hell for all eternity.

Kakashi smiles pleasantly at Naruto and Sakura before turning to look at Sasuke, the snake on his arm and his bedraggled appearance. There's a split second, and then Kakashi's hand is on the back of Sasuke's neck, gripping hard and pushing him towards the far end of the bridge. Sasuke matches his pace with Kakashi's and tries not to stumble when Kakashi gives him a particularly rough shove before letting go. Sasuke is almost Kakashi's height now—nearly 6'2''—and broader in the shoulders, but that doesn't mean the jounin is any less intimidating. "You were late to practice again today, Sasuke," Kakashi says.

Sasuke scoffs and turns his head away from Kakashi's lazy gaze. Naruto and Sakura are talking to each other on the opposite end of the bridge; Sakura gesturing wildly and Naruto nodding his head in understanding. On his arm, he feels Kanaye shift languidly.

"Kakashi," says a breathless voice.

"Ah, I told you, didn't I, Namikaze? He was an ANBU for quite some time, but he quit a few years ago. He is back to being a jounin, now. One of our best," comes Sarutobi's voice.

There's silence, and then, sounding so fiercely proud, "Naturally. He is _my_ student."

Sasuke is frozen, listening to the side conversation carried on by the voices in his mind—and it must take place inside his head; because clearly Kakashi can't hear them. Kakashi doesn't ever talk about his teacher, his previous team, or about anything from his time pre-Team 7. But this Namikaze in his mind, though, thinks that he was Kakashi's teacher. So either Sasuke has a really creative imagination, or...

"Well?" Kakashi interrupts, a little sharper.

_Dog-Master is angry, perhaps you should retreat and take cover._

_I'm not going to retreat. He was late, too_, Sasuke thinks, and winces at how much like a whine that sounded. Kanaye doesn't say anything else. "I slept in. The alarm clock didn't go off."

"Oh?" Kakashi hm-s under his breath. "And as far as your snake is concerned?"

Kanaye lifts his head. _Tell the Dog-Master my name._ "Kanaye," Sasuke translates.

"Kanaye," Kakashi corrects, expression unchanging. "Leave Sasuke for the day, please."

"But he's—"

"Healing you, I see that," Kakashi interrupts and looks down at the snake again. "Leave, please."

If Kanaye wants to, he can kill Kakashi with his poison in 67.34 seconds. But he, and the other snakes, respect Kakashi for some unknown reason, so Kanaye nods once before looking pointedly at Sasuke, and Sasuke grudgingly lets him disappear in a small puff of white cloud. He hides a wince when the pain returns to him as sharp, silver-quick streams up his arm. If Kakashi notices Sasuke's discomfort, he doesn't mention it, just looks pointedly at Naruto and Sakura.

With a scowl, Sasuke turns on his heels, about to join the other two when Kakashi adds pleasantly, "Oh, and Sasuke? You can join Lee in his fifty laps around the village today."

In his mind, he hears a voice say—as if the person is standing right next to him—"Dear lord, Kakashi, you've grown to be quite the teacher."

* * *

Lee looks up when he sees Sasuke perched high up on the village wall. He waits for Sasuke to drop down from the wall and watches him land neatly on the outside of the village before he asks, "Late for training again, huh?"

Sasuke growls under his breath and falls into place next to Lee. It's become routine now, and Sasuke hates to admit it, but it isn't the worst punishment in the world; running with Lee. At least, unlike some people he knows, Lee doesn't blab unnecessarily except for the occasional and enthusiastic "Time of our youth" profundity. They get ready silently, and when Lee offers weights for Sasuke to use, Sasuke shakes his head. His body is still aching, and he's not sure he can take a single step with an extra fifteen pounds on each foot.

A voice again. "Fifty laps, huh?"

"I'm betting 600 ryo, he'll drop down dead before the fifteenth."

"Eight hundred on twenty-five laps," the third says politely. "The Uchiha Clan men are born and bred warriors. He will complete at least half his assignment."

"Eight hundred ryo on five, Brother," says another voice, taunting. "He's still exhausted from yesterday."

"Perhaps we should stop," Sarutobi interrupts "He can hear us." There's silence after that.

Sasuke ignores them, and when Lee gives him a curt nod, they take off, following the wall as it curves around the circumference of the village. A little unnecessarily, Sasuke looks over his shoulder to see if they're being followed. Next to him, Lee yells out, "You want to grab lunch at the sushi place after this?"

Sasuke pretends to think it over—he has a reputation to maintain—but it's a lost gesture around someone like Lee, so he yells back, trying to ignore the cramp in his leg and the pain in his arm, "Fine."

He does all fifty laps, and in his mind, the voices haggle over who owes what to whom. In the end, everyone loses and grumbles about the utter unfairness of it all. It must say something about the state of his mind, because Sasuke bites the inside of his cheek to stop the triumphant grin that's threatening to break out over his face.

* * *

Sakura is waiting by the entrance of the restaurant, and when she sees Lee she gives him a soft, shy smile. Lee returns it with a grin, and the three of them walk in. Which is where Sasuke sees them; Naruto and Neji, sitting at a booth, talking with their heads bent close.

Lee tenses next to Sasuke, giving him a quick glance. Sakura offers, voice a little hesitant, "Maybe we should get ramen? I'll just tell Naruto that we—"

"No," Sasuke hisses and walks purposefully up to the table.

Naruto looks up when Sasuke slides into a seat, and a taunting smile comes readily to his face. "Kakashi-sensei's really pissed off at you, huh?"

Sasuke scowls and turns his face away from the utter and shameless lack of space between Naruto and Neji. A waitress comes to take their orders and vanishes for a few minutes before bringing out a tray laden with bowls. Once she's served the food, she turns to leave, gaze lingering on Sasuke. For the heck of it—such a petty, petty way to feel better—Sasuke gives her an appreciative glance. She blushes and stammers an "Enjoy" before disappearing. Naruto kicks him under the table, scowling. His smile is gone. "No shame," he snaps. "No shame at all."

Sasuke bites down the _Look who's talking_ that's crawling up his throat and settles for a smirk instead. His gaze lingers just a little too long as Naruto turns back to Neji to finish his sentence, entirely oblivious to the expression that crosses Sasuke's face at the gesture. He should be used to this by now, he thinks, but it's useless when he's sitting right across from Neji and Naruto. Because when Sasuke left to go to Orochimaru, apparently Neji stepped in neatly by Naruto's side.

Apparently.

Sakura growls before ordering everyone to eat and stop being such men around her, didn't she get enough of them already, and where is Tenten anyway? There needs to be more estrogen at this table.

Neji shrugs his shoulder at the question—and the movement, so slight—makes his shoulder brush against Naruto's. When Sasuke breaks his chopsticks, the wood splinters into several pieces. Growling, Sasuke stands abruptly, excusing himself to get another set of chopsticks. He's at the counter, asking for another pair when he feels Neji standing next to him. "If you're going to act like a prick," Neji says calmly, reaching for a handful of napkins, "You should leave."

Sasuke stares into Neji's milky blue eyes and clenches his fist so hard the bones start hurting. "Fuck off, Hyuga." And it's such a pitiful comeback, even he knows it.

Neji smirks at him, wicked and triumphant. "Cat got your tongue, Uchiha?"

Sasuke glances briefly over at Naruto who's laughing at something that Lee is saying. If he were to punch the Hyuga and walk away with his blood on his knuckles, Naruto will never, ever forgive him. Not after... "If you hurt him," he says instead, and is about to round off the sentence with a threat—

"Not everyone is like you," Neji snaps and turns his back on Sasuke's expression.

"Well, that's interesting," says a voice by his side. "Your son is in demand, Namikaze."

"Shut up," hisses another voice, sounding unbelievably angry. "They should both be castrated."

"They're teenagers," comes Sarutobi's voice soothingly. There's a few moments of silence as Sasuke gathers his anger and pride, watching as Neji slides back into his seat next to Naruto. Then, the same voice—Sarutobi's—offers, "Sasuke, perhaps you should..."

"I know," Sasuke mumbles under his breath, wondering why he's even listening to this insanity inside his mind, and heads back to the table. He's surprised when there's a cool, oddly gentle, touch on his shoulder as he starts to eat, head bowed over his food so he doesn't have to see Naruto's soft, fond gaze on Neji.

* * *

How it started is entirely irrelevant in Sasuke's mind, because all that matters is breaking a few of the bastard's bones. Just for the heck of it. "You don't want to get on my bad side," Sasuke scowls and twists Neji's arm a little more.

"Oh, do tell, Uchiha," Neji drawls, and does a half-twist to get Sasuke off of him. Sasuke lands a few feet away on all fours, grinning. Neji gets into a stance, his bandaged arms nearly glowing with the chakra running through them. He considers Sasuke for a moment before activating the Byakugan, eyes freezing into a steel, gray-blue.

Sasuke growls low in his throat and crouches lower to the ground. He won't need the Sharingan to take Neji down. "Oh, shit," Sakura swears somewhere to his right. "I'll go get Kakashi-sensei, or Gai-sensei. Whoever..." Her voice starts to fade as she takes off.

"Or the Hokage!" Naruto yells after her before he turns to Sasuke. "What the hell, Sasuke! We're just sparring." On the other side, Lee is trying his best to calm Neji down. "Come on, buddy. This isn't—"

Sasuke smirks, the taunt coming easily to him. There's centuries of feuding between the two clans. He and Hyuga are, by birthright, obliged to carry on the discussion. "Byakugan, if you're too afraid to attack—"

"You're the one who's talking, Sharingan." Neji lunges, nearly blurring in his speed, but Sasuke—injured, tired, and exhausted as he is—has never felt anger like this before.

Training, Naruto suggested at the end of lunch, and after half an hour, this is where they're at.

Kick-block-punch-throw-duck-punch-_kick_—and Neji stumbles back with the force of that attack. He re-centers himself and stares at Sasuke, fingers bending a little. "You're at a disadvantage, Uchiha. Your muscles are overused and your left arm is practically useless. Not to mention you're left handed, and you can barely make jutsus. Yield."

"Listen to him, boy," a voice implores.

"Withdraw. This isn't your battle."

"Try and make me," Sasuke snarls, and he sounds animalistic even to his own ears. "Just try and fucking _make_ me."

Neji appears a few inches from him again, and then their fists are flying. Ignoring the pain, Sasuke brings up his hands, makes a few quick seals, takes in a deep breath, and blows so hard his teeth sting from it and he can't breathe for a few seconds after. There's a ball of fire in front of him, blinding in its heat and light, and when it vanishes, Neji is barreling towards him; an angry, spinning tornado of kunais. It's Tenten's technique—Sasuke's seen it before—but Neji has modified it.

Sasuke dodges in a puff of white smoke. It doesn't give him much time, but it's enough for Sasuke to make a few seals. The pain in his arm is screaming now, and the scars on his palm are bleeding. Sasuke ignores it in favor of his next attack. He draws his sword with his right arm, balancing the familiar weight in his hand. It's still a new technique, so new in fact, that Neji—not Naruto—will be the first to see it. And live.

For sentiment's sake, Sasuke calls this the _Up Orochimaru's Ass Jutsu._

"Here we go," Sasuke mutters under his breath, and the sword starts to fizzle and sparkle with chakra. The kunais stop flying, and Neji pauses for a moment to give the sword in Sasuke's hand a wary glance. It reminds Sasuke so much of Orochimaru's expression when Sasuke did the same only a year ago.

_One_, Sasuke counts in his mind and spreads his legs, grounding himself. _Two_, Sasuke breathes, and moves his left hand along the length of the blade. _Three_.

"Sasuke, whatever you're doing—" Sarutobi's voice cuts in urgently.

"Now," Sasuke growls, and pushes chakra into his left foot. He spins in a half-circle, blade sizzling in mid-air. A whip of blue comes off the blade and crackles against the ground, a safe two feet away from Neji who jumps back at the attack. When the dust settles, there's a deep, three foot trench in the ground where the whip made contact.

The surprise in Neji's eyes—which quickly hardens into anger—makes it worthwhile. "What was that?"

"Lightning," Sasuke snarls. "Fire made into lightning."

"Fire?" It's not Neji, but Naruto. "But how did you..."

"Too scared, Hyuga?"

"How did you do that?" Sasuke hears Lee wondering the background, sounding breathless and awed.

Sasuke doesn't withhold an answer. He remembers one of the voices in his mind saying, _The Uchiha Clan men are born and bred warriors_, and that is the truth of it. "_I _am an Uchiha."

"And I," Neji counters, grinning, rising to the challenge, "_I_ am a Hyuga." He makes a seal—a twitching movement of his fingers—and suddenly, Sasuke feels his hands spasm into rigidity. "You didn't block enough of my attacks," Neji points out. He makes a small finger movement, and a muscle in Sasuke's right arm twitches, pinning it to his side. "Your anger is distracting you."

Sasuke narrows his eyes, focuses his concentration, and realizes that somehow, sometime, somewhere, Neji got to his chakra pathways. _Clavicular and antecubital_, Iruka-sensei's voice lectures in his mind, and he can almost see his old Academy teacher, pointing at the life-size anatomy poster on the blackboard. "I haven't used my Sharingan yet," Sasuke says and closes his eyes, feeling the familiar twinge of his Sharingan. Without opening his eyes, he asks, "You want to settle this now? Byakugan or Sharingan?"

"Neither," interjects a tight, female voice—Sakura must have found Tsunade first—and the earth crumbles under Sasuke, walls of dirt closing in around him, and Sasuke sees darkness.

* * *

Kanaye is there when he wakes up, looking angry. A rattle snake comes into view beside him. "Fudo," Sasuke tries to say, and swallows dirt. The two snakes watch him as he leans to the side and spits and gags. "I think I ate a worm."

"You," Fudo hisses, rattling his tail dangerously, "Are a moron."

"I realize," Sasuke groans, and winces when Fudo snaps his head and bites him on the forehead. This will hurt later, he can already feel it. "My arm," he says, and when he looks down, there's a cobra coiled around it tightly, pulsing with chakra. "Ishi."

"Shut up," Ishi snaps, sounding so very, very angry it makes Sasuke wince. He's angered the snakes twice before, and they let their feelings be known in ways that were almost always painful, if not a little messy. "Just _shut up_."

Sasuke gags a few more times, and when nothing comes up he sticks a finger down his throat and forces himself to heave. Kanaye coils tightly around his neck, squeezing a little too hard to help the process. "That's—" Sasuke drags in a gasp of air, "Good—" Another gasp. "Thanks—" A final shuddering breath. "Kanaye."

"I should kill you," the snake mutters darkly, and gives one more warning squeeze before sliding off.

"I know," Sasuke rattles off in monotone, "It was reckless of me. I wasn't grounded well enough, I could have blown my body to—"

"You have _no_ idea," Fudo snaps, and then there's a loud pop.

Sasuke tries not to look, tries so very hard, but then, he hears a female voice. It's deep, resounding, and commanding in the small room. Fudo very visibly flinches. "Well, boy," he hears, and Sasuke manages to look at the snake; a giant, yellow python, spotted with orange and brown.

"Holy shit," one of the voices in his mind croaks.

"Maybe we should leave, Brother? She's powerful."

"How did he summon her? How did he summon _any_ of them, unconscious? Did you see anything, Tobirama?"

"No, I didn't, Brother. Sarutobi?"

"They summoned themselves," comes the quiet, disbelieving voice of the Third Hokage.

Sasuke ignores the side conversation and focuses on meeting the eyes of the snake before him.

She is the mother of Sasuke's Snake Clan, and for this occasion, she has downsized herself to fit inside his apartment. Rin takes a deep breath, her throat becoming thick with the motion, and flicks out her tongue. "I should eat you," she says after a while, her tail tapping the ground in a slow, steady rhythm.

Sasuke has only seen Rin in this world twice. The first time was when she tested him to see if he was worthy of her kind. He remembers Rin's fang sinking into his back to touch the knob of his second lumbar spine—an initiation ceremony—her poison like lightning, thrumming in his blood. The second time was when he fought and killed Orochimaru. Both times he was about the size of one of her fangs. Oddly enough, crammed into the same room as her, he feels much, much smaller all of a sudden.

The fact that she's summoned herself out of the Other World speaks volumes, Sasuke realizes, about just how utterly and devastatingly stupid he has been.

"Instead," Rin snarls, "I will just kick your stupid, adolescent ass."

"Hey," Kanaye mutters, sliding away quickly. "Wait for us to get out of the—" Sasuke takes a deep breath and braces himself when Rin lifts his body and slams him against the wall. The plaster cracks.

Sasuke groans and rolls onto his back. "Can't I just get grounded?" he breathes, trying for a joke. She doesn't look amused, so he curls up into a ball to better defend himself. Rin throws him out the window and down three stories.

* * *

"Ow," Sasuke moans and writhes pathetically on Rin. He's spread out on her belly, in the center of her loose curl. Ishi is working to heal his left arm, Fudo is patiently pushing his tibia back underneath his muscle, and Kanaye is curled up next to him, gloating. Rin breathes in, and the movement makes Sasuke rise about two feet into the air. When she exhales, he comes gently down again. He tries again because he knows, very well, just how much of a sucker Rin is when he's in pain. "_Owww_."

"Shut up, boy," Rin snaps, sounding angry, but her large, large head comes into view to check on him anyway. Her tongue flickers out and slobbers saliva onto his body. Sasuke wipes it away from his face ineffectively, only gets a mouthful down his throat for the effort. "It'll heal you," Rin says, her hiss so loud in his ear that it's ruffling his hair. Scowling, Sasuke turns onto his side and stares down at the forest canopy a hundred feet below. Rin has moved them into the forest surrounding the outside of the village walls, away from curious, prying eyes.

"Play with fire like that again, boy, and I'll eat you. I don't like human flesh, but for you I would make an exception," Rin mutters to herself, and settles her face down a few yards away from Sasuke. Her golden-brown gaze is sharp in the moonlight, flickering with anger. "The stupidity. The _utter_ stupidity..."

Kanaye giggles, and Sasuke slaps at him, his hand weighed down by Rin's slobber. Immediately, Rin's voice comes back, loud as thunder. "Enough, the both of you. Sleep, boy."

"You could have just grounded me, you know," Sasuke mutters, and closes his eyes when he hears Rin's soft hissing laughter.

"You don't want to be grounded," Kanaye mutters, raising his head a little. "Trust me."

"What are they _hissing_?"

"Getting kind of annoying..."

Rin's head snaps up, her entire body tensing. "Intruders," Rin growls, and her body shivers with anticipation. Sasuke pushes himself up into a sitting position, wincing at the strain. "You hear them? Oh, thank fucking _God_—"

"Who?" Fudo asks, head swiveling around.

"I don't hear anything," Kanaye offers, and looks up at Rin's flickering eyes. "You do?"

"Shush, boys," Rin says, and swivels her head around, searching. "I don't see them."

"Here, look," Sasuke says, concentrating as he puts his hand on her skin. He's done this before, when he was nearly blind with one of Orochimaru's jutsus. And because Sasuke and his snakes are one and the same, bound by chakra and blood, they see what Sasuke sees.

He sends in a slim stream of chakra into Rin's skin, and then opens his eyes, Sharingan swirling with life. They're there—all four of them—standing around at different spots on Rin. Sasuke glances up to see if Rin is looking in the right direction. He points at the four men. "There, Rin."

The large snake looks down where the four figures are lounging on her body, and her eyes slit with recognition.

"Ah..." She clears her throat and then rasps out in human tongue, "The Chieftain."

"Hello, Rin," Sarutobi says, looking up with a smile. "It's been a while."

"You brought guests," Rin says, scowling a little, and then lowers her head to rest it on her stomach, a few feet away from Sasuke, blinking lazily. Her tongue flickers out dangerously. "It's rude to intrude on a snake's nest, Chieftain. You should know better."

"I do, I do," Sarutobi concedes, looking suitably apologetic. He indicates to the other three and sits down cross-legged. He is entirely comfortable despite Rin's presence, in a way that Sasuke has never seen a stranger act around the huge snake before. "But some rules just do not apply when one is dead."

Sasuke decides that this moment, if any, would be a good time to faint. "Aw fuck," he mutters, and then he does—

Faint, that is.

_End of Part One_


	2. Two: Level 12

**In Good Company**  
_Two: Level Twelve_

"Wake up, boy," Rin says, voice loud in his ears. Sasuke rolls onto his stomach and buries his face into her scales, groaning in discomfort. He feels the sticky weight of Rin's guck around him, healing him, warm and comforting.

When Sasuke killed Orochimaru, he'd nearly died. Not because of Orochimaru's battle prowess, but because Orochimaru was so deeply embedded into Sasuke's being that cutting him out was nearly fatal. Rin had saved Sasuke then, out of sheer will and a strange sense of compassion that Fudo had later explained as a succession of debts: Sasuke killed Orochimaru and freed the snakes from an oath; in return, the snakes had saved his life.

All Sasuke remembers is waking up in a dark tunnel, naked, swimming in his own filth and surrounded by a sticky gel that he later realized was Rin's guck—the same she uses when she gives birth to her snakes. Rin had healed him in one of her nests: a deep burrow that reaches so far down into the earth that sometimes, Sasuke can still feel the rumble of a distant volcano and the shifting of the earth's plates.

He swam around in that gel for two weeks, until he was strong enough to walk, passing between sleep and wakefulness. All he remembers is Rin's glowing eyes looking down at him, and her careful, careful coil around his body when he woke up screaming from nightmares. When he'd finally emerged on the surface again, dripping wet from her care, stinking of all things foul, and still naked as the day he was born, Sasuke had looked up and seen Rin's face; proud and fiercely protective. _Well, boy?_ Rin had spoken that day in snake tongue, and it was the first time Sasuke had understood her strange, booming hiss.

"I know you're awake," Rin snaps. "You want me to eat you?"

"No," Sasuke groans, his voice muffled by her scales. Around him, the chill of night makes him shiver and curl into a small ball, the guck settling around him more comfortably. He rubs some of it into his left arm to hasten the healing process.

"That's disgusting, kid," says a voice, and Sasuke immediately snaps into alertness.

Rin laughs, her voice making her body shake slightly. "Our Master likes to be pampered," she says and bends her head down. In her current form, Sasuke is about the size of Rin's fang, so it takes only two licks before he's clean again.

"Pampered, sure," Sasuke mutters—if getting trashed into a bloody pulp and then covered with disgusting muck is snake lingo for pampered, then he can do without it, thank you very much—and activates the Sharingan. They're still there. "Are they real?"

"They're spirits," Rin explains.

Sasuke hisses Kanaye's version of testes several times over.

"How can he see us?" asks the man with white hair.

"Because he's half-spirit himself," Rin goes on, slowly picking her words, "Of sorts."

"He is half-spirit," Sarutobi repeats blandly, and looks at Sasuke, eyes narrowing slightly. There's a flare of chakra in the air, and then it settles again. "I don't fully understand."

"My boy killed Orochimaru," Rin mumbles, and her body moves into a tighter coil at the memory. "He almost died doing it because Orochimaru was a part of him. For freeing us from Orochimaru, I brought him back from the dead and gave him new life. At a junction half-way between this world and ours."

The blond—who looks so much like Naruto it makes Sasuke shiver—looks impressed despite himself. "Spirit-Boy Uchiha, then," he mocks. "That certainly makes things more interesting."

"And who are you?" Sasuke snarls, angry now. They have intruded into his life, and here they are, under a cloudy moon discussing his half-spiritedness, or whatever it is that Rin has done to him. The fact that she never told him only fuels his anger.

"He is the father of the Fox-Child," Rin explains. "You should pay your respects if you want the Fox-Child as your mate."

Sasuke blushes a deep, deep red, and kicks half-heartedly at Kanaye who's probably the one who told Rin. Out of all the snakes, he's the only one who can get away with gossiping like that. Fudo and Ishi are sleeping in tight coils a distance away. Kanaye himself looks half-asleep and pays no attention to Sasuke.

"I'm not—"

"You're growing old, boy," Rin interrupts. "Time for you to find a mate and sire children. You're the Snake Master now. Start acting like it."

Sasuke very faithfully, and successfully, buries himself into a sulk. "Ah, Rin," Sarutobi murmurs, interrupting them. He has one hand clamped firmly down on the blond's shoulder, who looks just about ready to blow a fuse. "If we could perhaps get on with the introductions?"

"Of course," Rin says agreeably and reads off in snake tongue, "The one with black hair is the Shodaime, Senju Hashirama: The First Chieftain. He knew your ancestors once, a long time ago, when the Uchiha Clan was still nomadic. His expertise is forest jutsu; weakness is fire. His left arm is a little damaged from battle." Sasuke glances briefly at the man and gives Rin a quick nod to show that he understands.

"The one with white hair is the Nidaime Hokage: The Second Chieftain, and the Shodaime's younger brother. His name is Senju Tobirama. He's a feisty one, so don't anger him. That day with your Chidori, he was the one who shut down all your chakra pathways. Very powerful. Strength is water and earth jutsu." Rin is a snake; she trusts no one. Everyone is a potential threat in her mind. Even Hokages. "You already know the Third Chieftain, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Out of all of them, he is your ally."

"And the blond? You said he was Naruto's father..."

"And the Dog-Master's master. He also knew your ancestors," Rin says thoughtfully. She watches the blond for a moment before saying, "His name is Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime. He is famous in our world."

"Why?"

"He sealed the Demon Fox in his son."

Sasuke already knows this, but he doesn't say anything because for some strange reason, Rin is being open with her knowledge today. If he interrupts her now, it's unlikely he'll ever hear of this again. The ghosts wait patiently for Rin and Sasuke to finish their conversation. "Demons are spirits like us," Rin says, "But when a spirit like the Kyuubi becomes too attached to this world and tries to stay longer than is asked, or needed, it turns evil. It becomes infected by the pettiness and ugliness of your world."

"And me?" Sasuke asks and hates himself the minute the words are out of his mouth. It's a stupid and childish question, by any standard, and on any other day, Rin would have hit him for saying something like this.

Today, though, she answers him. "You, boy," Rin says, sounding amused, "Are a bastard of both worlds. Now move along. I don't have all day to waste with you."

Sasuke stands up slowly, testing his strength and measuring the extent of his wounds. His leg is more or less healed, his body feels a little overtaxed, but he can still make it back to the village if he wants to. "Next time," Rin snarls, "If I get word about you playing with lightning unnecessarily, I won't be so kind."

"I understand," Sasuke says and tries to look sincere. He still wants to whip the Hyuga boy with it, but knows better now. Rin doesn't look convinced, so Sasuke rolls his eyes and tries again. "I understand, Rin."

"Be warned," she hisses, and then she's gone, leaving nothing but air. The snakes and Sasuke start falling towards the earth. Fudo and Ishi are the first to wake up, and they both vanish with small pops. Kanaye though, Kanaye is still a young snake, and he depends on Sasuke to appear and disappear out of this world. So together—Kanaye hissing his scream and Sasuke cursing it—they topple nearly five-hundred feet downwards.

It's instinct when Sasuke closes his eyes and feels something slice painfully out of his back, his shirt ripping off of his shoulders and whipped away by the wind in the process. His wings are the only thing that's left of Orochimaru in Sasuke, and Rin has morphed them into something less unpleasant and more sustainable given Sasuke's body. They're not hands anymore, because Rin streamlined them to avoid any unnecessary chakra use. Now they're more bat-like—mostly because Rin knows Sasuke well enough to know that if he woke up with feathers, he'd commit ritual suicide.

It takes a few flaps and fifty feet before Sasuke can fly properly. By then, Kanaye is already toppling dangerously close to the ground, so Sasuke makes a mad dive and catches him a few feet above the canopy, arching sharply back into a horizontal trajectory to avoid the leaves and branches. Kanaye slithers up his hand and coils tightly around his neck, breathing heavily. "Better late than never, right?" Sasuke mutters, and gives a few gigantic flaps to regain altitude.

"Next time," Kanaye mutters a little darkly, "Sooner would be better."

"Go back," Sasuke says, and makes it an order. The snake looks up at him as he does the seal and vanishes. Sasuke looks over his shoulder to see if the ghosts are following him, smirking when he sees nothing. "And stay away," Sasuke yells to no one in particular, because he has better things to do than be haunted by ghosts. Satisfied, Sasuke turns back towards the village, only to come face to face with the ghosts, floating pleasantly in mid-air. He tries very, very hard to stop, but it's too close, and he barrels right through two of them, his wings nearly freezing at the touch. He finally stops a few feet away and turns around to stare at them, wings flapping a little frantically to stay in place. "You can _fly_?"

"Actually, Sasuke, that was our question," Sarutobi responds and looks pointedly at the wings. Sasuke ignores him and moves angrily away from them. They float alongside him, matching his speed.

The white haired man (Nidaime, Senju Tobirama: Earth jutsu specialist; dangerous, Sasuke reminds himself) is sitting cross-legged, and looks utterly unaffected by the wind in his face. "Impressive," he says. "Half-spirit, half-bird, manipulates thunder... What else can you do, boy?"

Sasuke ignores him and picks up more altitude when he spots the village walls in the distance. God only knows what the guards will do if they see him in the air. The ghosts follow, looking down at the village which looks small and huddled from such a height. "It looks peaceful," the Shodaime says fondly.

"Looks can be deceiving," Sasuke mutters one of Kakashi's lines automatically, and flushes when all four heads turn to look at him. He glances in the direction of the Village of Sound. Before, when Orochimaru was still alive and burning his way to Konoha, Sasuke could see billows of smoke miles and miles away. Now, the horizon is finally, finally peaceful.

But Akatsuki wants Naruto, and they're getting impatient. Sasuke can feel it in the air. He knows his brother better than he knows himself, so he knows Itachi must be getting restless now. Each minute wasted is a minute that the bond between Naruto and the Kyuubi strengthens. And the harder it will be for them to separate the two. _Something will happen soon_, he thinks, and shivers at the thought.

"I'm going home," he announces, and dives down.

* * *

Sasuke doesn't know how to land yet, because he doesn't fly very often. So instead of landing gently onto the window sill of his bedroom, he crashes through the window, topples into his reading table, and tumbles right into his closet.

The closet doors break with his weight, and when Sasuke finally stops—upside down, head bent at an odd angle on the carpet, legs up in the air—he hears laughter. It's Naruto at his bedroom door, holding onto the frame for support. "Oh, that's funny," Naruto breathes, wiping away tears from his eyes. "Why don't I have a camera on me? Sakura! He's home!"

"I heard," comes a voice from behind Naruto, and there's Sakura, looking very, very dangerous in the moonlight. "I would love to stay and kick your stupid, little ass, Sasuke, but my mother would kill me if I stayed out any later. Now,"

She smoothes down nonexistent wrinkles on her outfit, "Naruto and I have spent a considerable amount of time making you a decent dinner, because we're terminally and chronically kind like that. Make sure you eat everything. Naruto will take care of the wounds from your wings." She sends a glare in Sasuke's direction and rounds on her heels, pecking Naruto lightly on the cheek before leaving the apartment.

Sasuke hears the loud banging of the front door, and then there's silence again. "Take a shower, Bird-Boy," Naruto orders, grinning still. "I'll set the table." And then he's gone too.

"Are they dating, Uchiha and your boy?" a voice suddenly inquires. It's the Nidaime, Sasuke were to take a guess.

"_No_," says the Yondaime forcefully. And then, "I hope not."

"Shut up, Hokages," Sasuke scowls and heads into the bathroom to take a quick shower. By the time he's out again, the smell of something tasty is floating pleasantly into the bedroom. Sasuke picks his way through glass shards—he'll fix the broken window later—and scattered clothes and scrolls, walking into the kitchen to find Naruto filling up a glass of water from the tap.

"Thank fucking God," Sasuke breathes and settles down at the table with a groan. His entire body is aching now. "Goddamn Kakashi—" Naruto rounds on him, already disapproving of whatever Sasuke's about to say, so Sasuke doesn't finish the sentence. He eats without saying anything else as Naruto goes about cleaning his kitchen, like he does every time he visits.

Later, Naruto patiently bandages up the wounds on his back, The wound will heal, as it always does, but only until Sasuke brings out his scars again. Then, the wound will reopen. It is Orochimaru's version of a joke. The gift of flight, but with the risk of severe blood loss, and infection.

Naruto's hands are smooth and gentle on his skin, even though he mutters under his breath about Sasuke, and look who's the idiot now, you bastard. Sasuke doesn't say anything, just lies on his stomach with his face buried in the pillow to hide his winces.

At around ten, when Sasuke is resting his head on the back of his couch with his feet kicked up on the coffee table, Naruto says next to him, "If I fall asleep here, I better get the bed, Sasuke." Sasuke scoffs and tries not to notice when Naruto shifts closer to him with a yawn before he goes back to watching the movie. Sasuke follows suit, and within the hour, gathers that the hero's mother-in-law wants him dead. There is also a dog involved.

Naruto falls asleep with his head nestled on Sasuke's shoulder, breathing deeply. Scowling—hating himself for this, because his mother taught him manners, damnit—Sasuke picks up Naruto, crosses the distance to his bedroom, and eases him into his bed. He tries not to think about the sight too much; because he's wanted Naruto in his bed so badly, for so long, he's starting to suspect that maybe his cock is broken. When he settles down on his couch, so unbelievably angry that he has to sleep on the couch in his own goddamn home, he hears a reluctant Yondaime sigh, "I guess my son could do worse."

* * *

Later that night, Sasuke has an unbelievably erotic dream, that starts, pleasantly enough, with Naruto spread out on his bed, fingers tracing his tattoo lazily, and blue eyes hazy with lust. Four minutes into the dream, Sasuke has Naruto bent over the Hokage's desk and is having the time of his life—"_Yes_," Dream Naruto whispers, and makes high, breathy noises in synch with Every. Single. Thrust.

Dream Naruto is so very, very easy, it makes Dream Sasuke hard all over again, and they go at it for Round Two. "Yes, _please_, Mr. Uchiha," Dream Naruto, The Personal Assistant With A Wild Side breathes, and Dream Sasuke, The Boss With Unbelievably Comfortable Office Chairs obliges.

And then, there's water in his face.

It's Kakashi.

Sasuke groans awake and doesn't even bother hiding the evidence of his dream. It's Kakashi, for God's sake, he thinks. The man actually walked in on Sasuke with his hands down his pants during a mission, once. "This," he says coldly, "Better be good."

"Oh, was I interrupting?" Kakashi asks innocently, and tilts his head. Sasuke really doesn't want to jerk off in the bathroom with Kakashi in his apartment, so he closes his eyes and thinks about unpleasant things. It's not very difficult, and by the time he remembers the sight of his mother's body crumbling to the floor, Naruto is nowhere near his thoughts.

"What?" Sasuke demands when he opens his eyes.

Kakashi's face goes serious. "Training," he says, and disappears.

"Now?" the Yondaime asks from somewhere in the room.

"I suppose," says the Shodaime. "He did say training, correct, Tobirama?"

"Yes, Brother," the Nidaime mumbles, yawning loudly. "Let's follow them."

The watch reads 1:02 a.m., and outside the sky is still dark and clear. Sasuke makes his way to the bedroom where Naruto is sleeping heavily, and heads towards the bathroom. Being Kakashi's student has taught Sasuke many things. Of them are: Protect your teammates; there is always a hidden truth; and know your enemies' strengths and your own weaknesses. Another is this: If there is training after midnight, you better take less than five minutes to get ready for it.

Sasuke spends two minutes and thirteen seconds in the bathroom, and comes out dripping wet from a cold shower. He tugs on clothes—randomly because he doesn't want to turn on the light even though Naruto is most definitely awake now. "Training?"

"Yeah," Sasuke mutters and finishes checking his kunai holster. Three minutes and nine seconds. Naruto falls silent again and watches Sasuke tie on his hitai-ate. They both know—almost everyone knows—that Sasuke and Kakashi train like this at the dead of night, when no one is watching to steal coveted Sharingan secrets from them.

Three minutes and forty-five seconds. Sasuke approaches Naruto and holds out bandages which Naruto quickly wraps around his left arm, blue eyes so bright they look unnatural. Four minutes and twelve seconds. Kakashi will be waiting on his roof somewhere.

"Try not to get your ass kicked too bad, you bastard," Naruto mutters and settles under the covers. "Be home soon."

Sasuke lingers by Naruto's side for a moment longer, trying to hold in the urge to lean down and kiss Naruto. "Don't stay up," he mutters instead, and leaves when Naruto hm-s under his breath, already half-asleep.

Kakashi is waiting when Sasuke climbs up to the rooftop. Together, they slip over buildings and head towards the village training grounds. They're close to downtown, and Sasuke can see the lights and hear the laughter in the distance. "What's wrong with you?" Kakashi mutters by way of hello, and balances on a roof edge.

Sasuke isn't sure how to answer that, because the reason will sound a little ridiculous, no matter how he phrases it. I see dead people sounds embarrassingly tacky, and I'm half-spirit sounds like something Sakura might say when she's stoned sky high. So he settles for a shrug.

"You're getting paranoid," Kakashi mumbles under his breath and moves slightly. Sasuke tenses in anticipation of a fight, because Sasuke may have kicked Orochimaru's ass from here to the seventh layer of Hell, but if Kakashi really wants to, he can have Sasuke writhing on the ground within seconds; trapped in some sort of horrible Mangekyou illusion. "Whatever it is, it's affecting your ability to function."

"I'm not paranoid. Just because I'm late for training and—" Sasuke asserts and flashes his Sharingan to see if the Hokages are there. They are. Hovering just a few feet next to him. The Yondaime is next to Kakashi, watching the jounin with open fascination. "Fuck," Sasuke snarls under his breath, because they're _stalking_ him now.

"It's not about the training, Sasuke," Kakashi interrupts sternly. "It's about your behavior. You're seeing things, attacking fellow Konoha shinobi, and then you get beaten to a fine pulp by your own snakes," Kakashi ticks off, unusually talkative. "So explain."

"I'm not paranoid," Sasuke argues, and clenches his hands into fists. He's been tense and shaking with anticipation and frustration for the past few days. Kakashi interrogating him like this isn't making it any better. "I'm just—" _Seeing dead people_. "And besides, it wasn't my fault. That stupid fuck Hyuga got so goddamn friendly with Naruto, he was asking for it—" He snaps his mouth shut when Kakashi's one visible eye curls up into a smile.

"Oh," Kakashi drawls, and stretches. "In that case. There's going to be a change of plans." He jumps down into the streets and motions for Sasuke to follow. When Sasuke lands next to him, Kakashi loops his hand around Sasuke's shoulder, friendly and comfortable.

"My boy," he says very, very solemnly. "Let's go have some fun, shall we?"

* * *

"I," Sasuke starts to say and slaps a chip down on the table. Asuma looks impressed, but he's drunk, so it isn't much of a standard. "Raise you two hundred."

There is a buxom woman hanging off his arms, making crooning noises in his ear, and Sasuke has to admit this is one of Kakashi's better ideas. It took some convincing, but somehow, Kakashi managed to slip Sasuke into the bar. Sasuke figures it has something to do with the five hundred ryo note that Kakashi slipped into the bartender's hand—and the fact that Sasuke had looked very much like he needed a drink.

"All right, Uchiha," Genma says thoughtfully, and then, "I see your fifty and raise it three hundred."

Sasuke figures that it's a bad idea; squandering his money away like this, but heck. He takes another drink and puts his arm around the woman next to him. "Oh," breathes the woman, and licks his ear. "Oh," Sasuke mimes, giving her ass a squeeze.

"Get a room," someone hollers from the bar, and Sasuke yells back, "In a minute."

"Condom, condom," Genma tuts and pushes two into Sasuke's hands. "Remember; sex lasts a night, but—"

"Syphilis lasts a lifetime!" the men intone gravely around the table. Asuma leans over a little and whispers loudly, "There's an alley—"

"On ninth and twenty-second? Good place, but the police are about apparently," Kakashi says, and ducks behind his cards before slapping some chips onto the table. He too, has a woman hanging off his arm, although she's wearing much, much less than the other one. "Gai, buddy," Kakashi says, and impossibly, the woman's kimono slips off her shoulder even more, "Your game."

"This is deplorable," says a voice firmly. It's the Shodaime.

"The Shodaime," Sasuke says conversationally, "Thinks this is deplorable."

The men nod their heads sagely, and Gai offers, "I happen to agree. But—" He throws an arm around his woman forlornly. "I'm going to have to fold. Your game, Genma."

"Sasuke, I have always known you to be a steady, level headed, decent boy. Put down the sake, drop the cards, leave the woman, and go home," says Sarutobi, trying to sound more patient than he probably is.

"The Sandaime thinks I should go home," Sasuke mutters, considering his cards and then Genma's face. He's bluffing. The woman on his arm nearly climbs onto his lap and rubs her breasts up against him enticingly. "Well," Sasuke says, and then, "Four hundred."

"Daring game," comments the Nidaime, and then, "Genma's not bluffing."

"_Stop **encouraging** him_. Kakashi, I can't believe this is the kind of example you give your student. I taught you better than this," the Yondaime chides, as if Kakashi could actually hear him.

"The Yondaime," Sasuke translates, raising his voice to be heard over the ruckus in one corner of the room. The woman is giving him a lap dance now, so Sasuke figures it's time to go. He gets up and the woman follows, smiling lazily up at him. Nice, Sasuke thinks, and settles his hand around her waist. "The Yondaime thinks he taught you better than this, Hatake," Sasuke announces very seriously, and entirely misses the look that Kakashi gives him. He puts his cards face-up, thinking that he'll win, but then Genma spreads his cards out and Sasuke says goodbye to the last mission's savings. "Oh well," Sasuke sighs and looks down at the woman. "Let's go."

The men say 'goodbye' and 'come again later' and 'you owe me, man' to Sasuke as he slips out into the night. The Hokages' voices are yelling now—of all the indecencies, the Shodaime scowls; only sixteen, Sarutobi moans—but when he guides the woman into an alley, they all go silent.

Three hours later, the woman has to walk Sasuke home, mostly because Sasuke is so drunk he can't even see straight anymore. He's pushed her up against some wall twice already and made her come so hard she's offered to pay _him_ for the night. When Sasuke looks confused, the woman pushes the money back into Sasuke's pocket and gives him a free blow job.

Sasuke's joints are finally relaxed, and the woman is laughing in his ear, smelling of lilies and wine, so he doesn't bother to be quiet when he stumbles into his apartment. "I'm home," Sasuke yells for the heck of it, and the woman squeezes the front of his pants for the effort. "All right, leave now," Sasuke orders half-heartedly, because he has training tomorrow. And he's run out of condoms.

The woman pushes him down onto the couch and smiles, her painted lips indecently smudged. "If you want to do this again sometime later..." She trails off as she slides a piece of paper into his hands. "I won't charge." For some strange reason, Sasuke finds this funny, so he starts laughing and falls onto the couch, loose limbed. He hears the door close, and then, finally, Sasuke slips into an easy sleep.

* * *

"Aw, goddamn," Sasuke groans, and touches his head to see if it's still there. It is. So he says again, "_Goddamn_."

There are loud clangs and thunks coming from inside the kitchen, and more noise than could possibly be warranted for—Sasuke squints at the clock—eight in the morning, so Sasuke buries himself under his pillow and breathes in deeply. His insides are churning, his head his pounding, his tongue is stuck to the roof of his mouth, and he's fairly certain that this is what Hell must feel like.

"Shut up," he croaks at the noise, but it gets louder, so he tries again, "I _said_, shut the _hell_ up—"

"I heard," comes a very, very cold voice. Sasuke lifts his head and stares at the blurry figure until it swims into view. It's Naruto, Sasuke tells himself, and slowly sits up, cradling his head. He'd forgotten that Naruto slept over.

"Goddamn Kakashi—" But Sasuke doesn't have time to finish his sentence because an egg flies at him and splatters neatly on his chest.

For the next three hours, Naruto yells incessantly and interrupts himself only to solemnly throw a piece of furniture or a sharp object at Sasuke. Nearing the fourth hour, a shuriken flies by Sasuke's head and lodges itself neatly into the wall behind him. "What the _fuck_, dead last!" Sasuke yells, and dodges another kunai. He's slower than usual, because, he has to admit, he may still be slightly inebriated.

"_You came home **drunk**_," Naruto roars furiously, and then the sofa is hurtling towards Sasuke, who only barely dodges it. It crashes loudly into the wall, rebounding with the impact force. "_And with a **woman** hanging off your arm, no less_!" Naruto howls and throws a pot at Sasuke. The handle lodges itself in the wall next to the shuriken. Naruto runs a hand through his hair, tugging at the strands in his frustration. "_I'm going to **kill** you_!"

A pan makes enthusiastic acquaintance with Sasuke's head.

* * *

Kakashi looks smug when Sasuke finally shows up for training bruised, and a little bloodied. "Feel better, Uchiha?"

Sasuke glares at him. "No," he mutters sullenly. "Naruto found out."

"Oh, wow," Kakashi says with feeling, and pats Sasuke's shoulder in a brotherly gesture. "Tough break."

"You have no idea," Sasuke confides, and rubs gingerly at his soar head. Naruto is already explaining the entire ordeal to Sakura who looks alternatively shocked and angry. "Piss drunk with some _whore_," Sasuke hears, and then Sakura gives him a dirty, dirty look.

Kakashi watches the two of them thoughtfully. They've taken a small break for lunch, and Naruto and Sakura show no inclination of talking to either Kakashi or Sasuke for the rest of the day. "You used condoms, I hope."

"Yeah," Sasuke mutters and looks away from Sakura and Naruto.

"You should start getting tested regularly from now on," Kakashi instructs. "Ask Shizune after training. She's discreet about these things."

"Fine," Sasuke says. Naruto yells "_kill_ him," and Sakura nods a little too enthusiastically. Suddenly, their voices drop into hushed whispers. They must be plotting his death, Sasuke figures, and settles down next to Kakashi with a sigh.

"I can't believe this," comes the Yondaime's voice. "I can't _believe_ he is having this conversation."

"At least," the Nidaime offers, "He's being a responsible adult—"

"Responsible? He took the boy out for a night of carousing. What part of that is responsible—"

Sasuke resolutely ignores the conversation, and announces, "I have a hangover."

"I do too," Kakashi puts in pleasantly, and Sasuke gives the jounin a sidelong glance. He doesn't look it.

"My insides may be compromised."

"That happens," Kakashi assures, and hands Sasuke the bottle he brought with him to training. "Drink this. It'll help you keep hydrated." Sasuke follows the order and nearly gags at the liquid. It's foul, by any standard, but if it'll help him get through the day...He takes another swig before returning it to Kakashi.

"I can't believe this," the Yondaime breathes again, despairingly. "I just can't believe this."

"We going to train today?" Sasuke asks, because he's starting to wonder how much use it'll be. Hungover, he knows he'll get his ass kicked into the ground by Naruto and Sakura. He'll probably end up tied, upside down to a tree, and listen to their rant about the dangers of alcohol, gambling, and sex with strangers. Knowing Sakura, she'll also probably show him horrifyingly vivid pictures of STDs for emphasis.

"Maybe, maybe not," Kakashi mutters, and pulls out his book. Sasuke stares for a few moments, unable to take his eyes away from the cover. Kakashi fumbles around his pocket and pulls out another book before handing it to Sasuke. "Relax," the jounin advices and leans back into the tree shade. Sasuke glances at Naruto and Sakura, still hissing and whispering like angry pit vipers, and takes the book. He's becoming like Kakashi, he realizes, and finds that it doesn't disturb him as much as it should.

In his ear, the Nidaime chuckles at one of the jokes in the book. "Hey, this is actually good reading material," he points out, and the other three mutters curses under their breath about the dissolving standards of shinobi and the state of the world in general. The Nidaime ignores them and says, "Flip the page, you're a slow reader."

He's on chapter three when Kakashi asks, voice mild, "Oh, and Sasuke. How do you know about my sensei?"

"The Yondaime...Namikaze Minato," Sasuke mutters under his breath and feels the air still around him.

"That's right."

Sasuke realizes that Kakashi is very, very serious all of a sudden. He's treading on dangerous ground here. "I won't bring him up again."

"Good," Kakashi says and falls silent. A few seconds later, as Sasuke's flipping a page, Kakashi offers politely, "I knew an Uchiha before you."

Sasuke stills.

He has always made it a point not to think about Kakashi's Sharingan, because it belonged to one of Sasuke's kin. He's not sure he wants to find out who, because it would mean that Kakashi killed him. There's no other way to explain the Mangekyou. "I don't need to know," Sasuke says and lets out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "It would be better if you didn't tell me. For your sake."

"Because you'll have to kill me. Clan laws."

The Yondaime gasps, and there's a cool touch on his arm. Sarutobi says, "Steady, Sasuke. Don't get—"

"You have the Mangekyou," Sasuke speaks, slowly choosing his words. There is no Clan anymore, just Sasuke and Itachi. But the Clan laws are the laws. The Uchiha men are born and bred warriors, the Shodaime said. There are laws that come with that. "So yes, if you tell me, I'll have to kill you."

"Uchiha Obito," Kakashi says eventually, despite Sasuke's warning, and Sasuke feels the blood drain from his face.

Sasuke doesn't remember Uchiha Obito, his father's youngest half-brother who'd lived in the main house. He's seen pictures though, and heard stories. He was the brother that made Fugaku laugh. He imagines a boy with goggles, a big smile and gentle hands. He has pictures of Itachi playing with Uncle Obito. A young Itachi, latched onto the older boy's neck, and blinking toothlessly at the camera. When Uncle Obito died, Itachi had told Sasuke once, Father locked himself up in the family hall and refused to come out for three days.

"So," Sasuke says and puts away the book slowly. "Your eye, it belonged to Uncle Obito. You killed him."

"You didn't even know him," Kakashi puts in pleasantly.

"He was my uncle," Sasuke says, and swallows on that feeling inside of him, that familiar, bitter feeling. "It doesn't matter if I knew him or not. He's family."

"No," Kakashi counters, and takes a swig from the bottle before offering it to Sasuke. Sasuke doesn't take it. "Just because he was related to you doesn't make him your responsibility."

Sasuke feels the anger rising like bile in the back of his throat, can taste it; sharp and tangy on his tongue. "The day before he left for his last mission, Uncle Obito gave Itachi his favorite pair of goggles. Said that once he got the Sharingan, he should wear them to protect his eyes," he bites out. " Sasuke manages to force out, and remembers those goggles, lying at the bottom of a trunk in his closet. "I still have them."

Kakashi considers him for a second. "I didn't kill him," he says finally and presses a scroll into Sasuke's hand. It's from the Hokage's archives; a mission report. "It was his gift to me. This," he points at his eye, "And his friendship."

Kakashi disappears.

* * *

Shizune gives him a sharp look when he walks in and asks to be tested, but doesn't offer any comments. "All right," she mutters instead, and slides a needle into Sasuke's arm without much warning or grace. "The results for a full panel will take two weeks," she says as the small vial starts to fill with blood. "This test doesn't reflect any possible exposure to infections in the last three months. You'll have to come back in a few months for that, if that's what's worrying you."

"I'm not worried," Sasuke sighs and looks around. The room is polished and crisp with a window overlooking the village. Ever since Tsunade became Hokage, more funds have been funneled into the hospital, and the results are showing. "Just wanted to be sure."

"Kakashi get you into this?"

"No," Sasuke says forcefully, and then, just as forcefully, "Yes."

"Well," Shizune sighs and snaps a white sticky label onto the small vial of blood she's drawn. She writes down his name on the label before sliding the vial into a plastic bag with large, red lettering on it. "At least you're being responsible about it." Sasuke scoffs and waits as Shizune puts a gauze pad on the injection mark and tapes it up. She considers Sasuke for a moment before saying, "You're a mess."

"I'm fine," Sasuke says and gets to his feet.

"Sit down and take off everything except your underwear," Shizune orders him briskly, and points to an examination table tucked neatly against a wall in one corner of the room. Sasuke grumbles under his breath, but obliges anyway, wincing a little when his pants catch on a bruise. He gets onto the table, soft and cushioned with a thin, white strip of paper laid out on it.

Shizune's a fast and efficient worker, Sasuke knows from experience, and she goes about healing him without any further ado. Her hands skim down his neck, prodding and fixing, easing his chakra pathways. When she gets to his left arm, she whistles. "Well healed. Who did this?"

"Snakes," Sasuke says, ignoring the look that Shizune gives him. By the time she's done with his left arm and his legs, it's nearly dusk. Sasuke knows from the way his body moves easier that Shizune must have spent a considerable amount of chakra healing him, but she doesn't even look like she's moved an inch.

"Come back in two weeks for the test results."

Sasuke nods his understanding and pulls on the rest of his clothes, silently grateful for her healing. Shizune fumbles around in the drawer of her desk before pulling out a small bottle of pills. "This should help the muscle ache. Take one every four hours, or two every eight hours for the next three days."

Sasuke pockets it and is about to leave when Shizune clears her throat and picks up the scroll that Kakashi gave him. He must have turned his back long enough for her to steal it. He's impressed despite himself.

"And this," she snaps, holding it up in the air, "Is beyond your pay grade. I don't want to know how you got it, because you need at least Level Twelve clearance to open it." Sasuke watches the scroll with narrowed eyes, fingers twitching by his side."Whoever gave it to you assumes you know how to unlock it."

"I'll return the scroll to the right person once I'm done," Sasuke says a few seconds later, once he's managed to construct a sentence that doesn't reveal too much.

Shizune hesitates for a moment before handing the scroll back to Sasuke. He's nearly out the door when she adds, voice cruel and unforgiving, "You've betrayed Konoha once already, Uchiha. We won't be so forgiving the second time."

* * *

"What's Level Twelve clearance?" Sasuke asks the minute he's gotten onto a rooftop, heading in the direction of his apartment and away from any eavesdroppers.

"I established a system when I was Hokage," replies the Nidaime, "That categorizes levels of confidentiality and disclosure. When I was Hokage, there were One through Eight. I didn't set up a Level Twelve."

"I did," says the Sandaime, his voice coming from somewhere behind Sasuke. "It was after the incident with your brother, Sasuke. It requires direct orders from the Hokage."

"What did his brother do?" the Nidaime asks, picking up on Sarutobi's sombre tone. If he'd been a real man, anyone less than a Hokage, Sasuke would have killed him on the spot. But he's dead, and Rin has warned him about the Nidaime's temper.

So he answers him instead, and makes sure that his voice is completely neutral when he says, "He murdered the Uchiha Clan."

The Nidaime is silent for a moment. "You're alive."

"For his amusement," Sasuke says dryly.

"You were there, boy?" It's the Yondaime.

Sasuke has never been asked this before, and he's never told anyone. When the police finally came to his house, they'd found Sasuke in the middle of gathering kindle for a bonfire. _From fire to fire_, that was the Uchiha way. And then, the ashes would be returned to the Nakano River, the only waters that calmed the fires they tended. He'd burned most of the people, and was dragging his aunt's mangled body towards the fire when someone knocked him out from behind. The next thing Sasuke remembers was being in the Hokage's personal study. Sarutobi had looked at him with concerned, old eyes, telling him _Cry, boy. It's all right, you can cry if you want_. And Sasuke couldn't. A million worried faces had swirled around him for the next few days after that, and Sasuke couldn't cry, wouldn't cry, didn't even talk.

Eventually, people had gotten the hint and dropped the subject.

"Yes," he says and jumps across a street and onto another building. "I was."

"You saw it all?" the Nidaime speaks again, and Sasuke really wants to kill him now.

"Most of it."

The most vivid of them all was his mother; standing defiantly over her husband's body and pushing Sasuke behind her. Itachi, I love you, and Your brother, your sister, over and over again. And Itachi, without so much as a glance, made a sharp twisting motion that had Mother crumbling to the ground, her throat a red gash.

Sasuke remembers his mother, so desperately trying to say, _Run_, choking back blood and tears, watching as her love and life bled away. But Sasuke hadn't run, because his mother was crying, so he'd tried, very earnestly, to stop the blood flow with his hand on her wound. When Itachi finally left, Sasuke had quietly dragged his mother's body to one corner of the compound and started to pile wood around her. He took apart the Uchiha compound piece by piece for the wood to burn his kin.

"Who did he kill?" the Shodaime asks quietly.

"Everyone," Sasuke says, and closes his eyes against the image of it.

"Why?" It's the Yondaime now.

Sasuke, over the years, has come up with a lot of different answers to that question. _He's a cold-hearted bastard_ just doesn't cut it, and _He wanted the Mangekyou_ sounds a little feeble. But Sasuke knows his brother. Itachi got the Mangekyou by killing Shisui who is such a bright presence in Sasuke's memory; always a warm laugh, ghost fingers ruffling his hair, and memories of splashing around the river, learning how to swim.

If Itachi had wanted to avoid going blind from the Mangekyou, all he'd needed to do was kill one other Uchiha who possessed the Sharingan. Itachi doesn't do anything without a reason, Sasuke knows. He's clean, efficient, quick, and never ever redundant. So Sasuke has, over the years, come up with a lot of different answers, and has finally decided on this: "He got bored."

"He got bor—"

"Enough," interjects the Shodaime, cutting off any more questions. "That's enough."

They're silent then, until Sasuke finally settles in his kitchen with the scroll laid out. He's about to snap the scroll open when the Sandaime interrupts him. "If you do this wrong, it will kill you," he warns.

"Thanks, Hatake," Sasuke growls. "That's just fucking brilliant. Kill your goddamn student while your at it."

"Language, boy," the Shodaime scolds, exasperated. "Honestly, listening to you sometimes...Well, go on then. Open it."

"Let's begin," Sarutobi agrees with a heavy sigh. "This always takes a while."

* * *

When Sasuke finally manages to unlock it an hour later, the scroll rolls open, and he scans the title. It's a summary of a mission, the ink so soaked into the parchment that the text has become a little blurry. "This doesn't look too important," he mumbles. "Why did they seal it with a Level Twelve security clearance?"

"It contains information about the Sharingan," the Sandaime explains. "An Uchiha was involved. It was a precautionary measure."

Sasuke grunts in understanding and goes back to reading the neatly packed writing.

_Members: Namikaze Minato, Jounin; Hatake Kakashi, Jounin; Uchiha Obito, Chuunin; and Inuzuka Rin, Medic-nin, Chuunin. Mission: Scout and encounter possible Rock-nin threats._

There are small profiles on each of the members, and Sasuke reads them hurriedly. _Hatake Kakashi_, it says. _Jounin, Age thirteen_.

"Thirteen," Sasuke reads aloud, disbelieving. He's known, peripherally, that Kakashi is a force to be reckoned with, that he's some sort of genius prodigy of Konoha. He's heard rumors, whispers of the Copy Ninja Kakashi and his lineage. Now, he understands.

He reads through the report, told from several different points of view. They separated into two groups, the report reads, to cover more ground. Namikaze one group, the other three a separate group. They spotted four possible threats. _During an encounter with the enemy, Uchiha Obito activated his Sharingan successfully,_ the report reads. _During a later encounter, he was a casualty._

_Casualty_, Sasuke thinks, and the word makes him grit his teeth. It's lost its weight over the years for him. But then he remembers Itachi, looking stone-faced as he told Sasuke about Obito's death. How when she'd gotten the news of Obito's death, their grandmother's broken wails had filled the Uchiha compound for hours on end, that she had worn out her voice that day, and the only thing left was an empty, fragile silence. Fugaku had been in mourning for years, Itachi told him. They almost named Sasuke Obito, but Shisui had wanted Sasuke to bear the name of legends, not be a constant reminder to Fugaku of the brother he lost.

He takes a deep breath, because this is a part of Kakashi's past, more than the jounin has ever, ever willingly given up. When Sasuke first met Kakashi, the jounin had pointed out that he didn't like any of the newly appointed Team 7, that he didn't particularly feel like telling them much about himself, and that everyone close to him was dead. Over the years, his curiosity about Kakashi has slowly faded away. Now, though...

The rest of the report reads like several bullet points meshed together: About how Rin was taken prisoner; about how Kakashi abandoned her; about how Obito went back to rescue his teammate, and how Kakashi later followed Obito back. There, Obito sacrificed his own life to save Kakashi's. His dying request, the report lists, was to give Kakashi the Sharingan. Rin performed the surgery to transplant Obito's eye. Obito died afterwards of hypovolemic shock. His body was never recovered.

Sasuke tries to imagine Obito, lying in a puddle of his own blood, blind to the world, shivering until he slipped into his own death. The image comes easily enough, because this is a report written by an experienced ninja, and it details every single moment of the encounter with excruciating detail and imagery.

Sasuke's uncle gave his eye to Sasuke's teacher, and it must be some sort of strange, twisted symbolism, because Sasuke can't explain the coincidence of that no matter how hard he tries. Maybe that's why Kakashi agreed to take on Team 7, Sasuke thinks, and then remembers what Kakashi had told them that very, first day.

"Ninja who don't follow the rules are trash," Sasuke mutters to himself, and starts to roll up the scroll again. "But ninja who don't take care of their friends—"

"Are worse than trash," the Yondaime finishes next to him. "You're a lot like him when he was younger."

"Uncle Obito?"

"No. Kakashi," the Yondaime says patiently. "Just like him, in fact."

"I've even made the same mistakes he has," Sasuke agrees, tired now, and lowers his head to the table, waiting for the visitor he knows he'll have.

Kakashi arrives nearly three hours later, around midnight, and slips into the kitchen. Without saying hello, he fumbles around the fridge, but emerges empty-handed. "You don't have much to eat here," he mutters, and pockets the scroll in one smooth motion.

Kakashi and Sasuke are socially demented enough that they will pretend that this never happened. Both of them know this, and neither will say anything. "I'd have to kill Naruto for the Mangekyou," Sasuke announces blandly, and watches Kakashi's face carefully. There's no change of expression.

"Or," Kakashi points out politely, "You can kill Itachi."

Sasuke smirks at that and gets to his feet. "I think I'm going to get completely wasted tonight."

"Sure," Kakashi says, and this time, when they head out of the apartment, none of the Hokages say anything. But then, a few hours later, when Kakashi and Sasuke are solemnly finishing their third bottle, the Nidaime says firmly, "Easy, boy. That's enough for the night. Go easy there."

"All right," Sasuke says and swallows another cup, putting it down with a thunk. He gets to his feet a little unsteadily, and places his share of the bill on the table with a curt nod to the bartender. A few more visits, Sasuke figures, and he'll be considered a regular.

He manages to take a few teetering steps towards the door when Kakashi appears next to him, and supporting each other, they stumble back to Sasuke's apartment. Kakashi makes sure that Sasuke is safely sprawled onto his couch before saying, "Your Uncle. His name is engraved on the memorial stone. On the hill." He vanishes without another word. Sasuke falls asleep then, and when he wakes up the next day, an hour late for practice, he heads towards Memorial Hill.

Unsurprisingly, Kakashi is there, head bent in contemplative silence, eyes trained on a name on the large, onyx-blue slab of stone. It takes Sasuke a few minutes to find the name, and when he finally does, he goes still like Kakashi. They stand there in silence for nearly two hours. When, finally, they head towards the training grounds, they're both three hours late.

* * *

Sakura vanishes midway through training, saying that she wants to go over some lessons with Shizune before the day is over. Kakashi disappears soon after, and then it's Naruto and Sasuke, sparring as usual.

Sasuke throws a kunai and misses. Badly. Naruto goes completely still and looks at the kunai that landed nearly eleven inches away from him, eyes wide. "Um, Sasuke? I'm over here," he points out, giving him a little wave.

"Goddamn son of a fucking—" Sasuke propels himself into Naruto and pushes him into the ground, snarling. Naruto freezes for a moment before flipping them over. He straddles Sasuke's lap, slim thighs pressing against Sasuke's sides, and considers the man underneath him for a few moments, brows furrowing in concentration. He pushes a few strands of hair away from his eyes a little distractedly, smudging dirt across his skin as he does so.

And then, "You're hungover."

"Mildly," Sasuke snaps and bucks his hips to get Naruto off of him. The blond doesn't move, just leans down closer, breathing harshly in his anger. He has one hand pressing heavily into Sasuke's chest, another around Sasuke's throat to keep his face still. Naruto opens his mouth to say something loud and disapproving, when Sasuke interrupts, "Not today, Naruto."

Naruto throws up his hands and punches Sasuke's chest weakly, argument gone. They've known each other long enough that they can measure the weight of each other's silences from two miles away. So Naruto understands, instinctively, that something is wrong. "I reserve the right to yell at you about this later."

"No, this conversation ends here," Sasuke determines, and shifts slightly so Naruto is perched a little more comfortably on top of him. Naruto scowls, visibly fighting the argument crawling up his throat.

"I think they're getting just a little _too_ comfortable, don't you think?" comes an amused voice. It's the Nidaime. Naruto reaches down and absentmindedly rubs off dirt from Sasuke's chin. "Yep. They're gettin' real friendly—"

"Oh my God! Stop _looking_ at Naruto like that—"

"Namikaze," interrupts a weary voice. "Let them be."

"_I'll **kill** you, Uchiha! You hear me?_" The Yondaime steadfastly ignores the Sandaime, so Sasuke casually lets his hand drop high on Naruto's thigh, near his waist. Naruto doesn't notice. "_Oy, that's **it**! Let me at him! Let me get my hands on him! You get away from my boy_—" Sasuke tunes out all the yelling about his near and imminent death, and focuses instead on Naruto.

He's sweaty, a little dirt-stained, and his hair is hanging loose and long around his face. The blond started to put it up in a ponytail like Iruka a week ago, but today, his band has flown off sometime during their scuffle. This is a near exact replica of three of Sasuke's dreams (where Naruto pushes Sasuke flat and rides him until they both come hard enough to shatter the edges of the world), so Sasuke takes advantage of reality for the few precious minutes it'll last.

"No," Naruto growls and hits Sasuke again, still lightly. "I get to yell at you later. That, or I'll kill you."

Sasuke smirks. "You can _try_."

Naruto scoffs and fumbles around in his pocket. A split second later, he's tugging the hair out of his face and up behind him. One snap, another, and then his hair is in a small, neat ponytail, only a few wisps of stray blond locks floating around his face. Sasuke tries very, very hard not to reach up and pull Naruto's hair loose again. "Fine, then. I'll yell at you now."

He takes a deep breath, but since Sasuke still has a slight headache from drinking too much, he puts up a hand to stop Naruto. The blond snaps his mouth shut, looking triumphant. "Later," he concedes, and watches Naruto get to his feet and hold out a hand for Sasuke to take.

"I'll treat you out for ramen."

Sasuke doesn't take the hand, and stands up, grumbling, "I can pay for myself."

"Not from what I hear," Naruto points out, grinning widely. It makes his eyes slit and the scars on his face deepen. "You owe Genma a lot of money, apparently." Naruto turns on his heel and heads towards Ichiraku, tugging at Sasuke's arm impatiently. "Ramen is waiting for us! Stop being so slow," Naruto says, and makes the food sound like it's someone important.

"It's not going anywhere, dead last," Sasuke mutters and falls into step. "And if I'm slow, that makes you immobile—"

"Hah!" Naruto rounds on him with a pointed finger, voice raised to a familiar yell. "I was just going easy on you today, you drunk bastard!"

Sasuke snatches Naruto's index finger and squeezes lightly. "Slow," he says, and the taunt doesn't hold as much venom as it usually does. It sounds flat, uninterested, and pale.

Naruto's face stills, and slowly, carefully, he takes Sasuke's hand in both of his, expression softening. "Sasuke. What happened?"

Sasuke can feel four sets of eyes on him, can sense their chilly presence in the clearing somewhere. Sasuke's Sharingan swirls to life. The Yondaime is still there, head bowed and gaze on the ground somewhere by Sasuke's feet. This is their grief; his, Kakashi's, and the Yondaime's. He has an entire clan on his shoulders, all their deaths piled one on top of another, and now Uncle Obito's as well. He can carry that too, he knows, but maybe he doesn't have to keep this one so tucked close to his heart, because Itachi hadn't killed Obito. Maybe—

"I found out how my uncle Obito died," Sasuke answers and watches Naruto's face go through a sequence of quick emotions. He holds onto Sasuke's hand for a moment longer, blue eyes dulled with an emotion that Sasuke can't quite place.

Naruto does not let go of Sasuke's hands still, just steps closer. "Tell me."

This is not Naruto's grief. But still. "It wasn't Itachi."

At this, Naruto's grip on Sasuke's hand tightens. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Sasuke."

From anyone else, it would sound empty, but this is Naruto. So Sasuke only nods, breathes deep against this grief that's clawing inside his chest.

There is a moment of silence, but then Naruto remembers his original complaint.

"_That's no reason to get drunk, you **nincompoop**_," Naruto yells suddenly, and slaps Sasuke with a resounding _thwak_. Sasuke's head whips to the side. The Nidaime lets out a startled laugh when Sasuke gingerly touches his cheek.

"Oh wow," the Nidaime says, chuckling still. "He's got you whipped, Uchiha."

"Oh dear God," Yondaime whispers fervently. "Oh, sweet, dear Lord. Have mercy."

Naruto is already stomping off towards the ramen stand. Sasuke follows faithfully, lips curling into a small smile when Naruto begins a long and detailed rant about how Sasuke (very obviously) has a drinking problem, the downside of alcoholism, and about how if Sasuke's going to be drunk all the time now, he's going to be even _more_ of a pain in the ass.

Sasuke hm-s and ah-s at the appropriate moments and dutifully ignores Naruto's father's wild threats and enraged howls in his ears.

* * *

Shikamaru and Ino are at the ramen stand, and when Naruto walks in, Shikamaru's expression shifts slightly from dead-bored to mildly-bored. Naruto takes this as an enthusiastic hello, and barrels into Shikamaru for a hug. Sasuke watches, hands clenched at the sight until finally, Naruto lets go and yells, "Shikamaru!" into Shikamaru's face.

"Naruto," Shikamaru says, face slipping back into dead-bored. He glances at Sasuke. "Uchiha."

Sasuke nods at Shikamaru and watches as Ino lunges for her teammate. "Naruto," Ino moans and drags Shikamaru away from the blond. "Stay away from him! You've taken Sasuke, so leave Shikama—"

"What's _wrong_ with you, woman?" Shikamaru scowls and shrugs away from Ino's hold, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up," Ino growls and turns to Sasuke with a smile. "Sasuke! How are you?"

"Fine," Sasuke sighs and settles down across from them. Naruto is already enthusiastically placing their orders at the counter, hands flying about more than the process requires. A minute later, Naruto returns with two bowls: one miso; another plain. "_Finally_," Naruto breathes and digs into his ramen without further ado. A split second later, his bowl is done and so is half of Sasuke's.

"_Mine_, damnit," Sasuke snarls and snatches his bowl back from Naruto. The blond has the decency to look guilty before turning to Shikamaru. "So, how was your mission?"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru says predictably, and gets up. He glances briefly down at Sasuke. "I'm stepping out. Smoke." It doesn't really sound like a question or even an invitation to Sasuke's ears, but he understands all the same.

"Smoke? What smoke?" the Shodaime questions.

"Sasuke," comes Sarutobi's voice, sounding very serious. "Drugs are not the answer."

"Sure," Sasuke says, and ignores the dirty looks that Ino and Naruto gives both of them. He's pushing past Naruto when the blond gives him a hard, painful slap to the back of his head. Scowling, Sasuke turns to glare at him before he follows Shikamaru out of the restaurant. Shikamaru flips open a pack of cigarettes and offers one to Sasuke.

It's become a routine now, ever since Shikamaru once walked out of a stuffy protocol meeting and found Sasuke smoking languidly. Give me one, Shikamaru had insisted, and together, they'd ignored the meeting that they were bound by honor and duty to attend. The next day, Tsunade had called them into her office and yelled for nearly two hours about blatantly disrespecting their superiors.

Sasuke and Shikamaru had listened patiently, and once they were outside, compared notes on how big (_exactly_ as per Sasuke's observations using the Sharingan, and Shikamaru's measuring of the shadows) Tsunade's breasts were. It was, all in all, a strong bond.

"They smoke?" a disbelieving voice demands. It's the Shodaime, sounding exasperated. "Sarutobi, what kind of children did you—"

"I didn't know either," Sarutobi says, and then, "Sasuke, you and Shikamaru need to stop right now."

Shikamaru lights up before holding up a still-burning match for Sasuke to use. They take a few relaxing puffs—the Hokages never shutting up in Sasuke's ears.

Finally, Shikamaru offers, sounding casual still, "I heard some rumors about Akatsuki's whereabouts."

The Hokages fall silent. "Oh?" Sasuke says and watches people walk by the ramen shop. Inside the restaurant, Ino is waving her hands about in the air. Naruto has an expression of understanding on his face. They're probably complaining about him and Shikamaru, Sasuke thinks, and looks away.

"They're recruiting," Shikamaru mumbles. "Someone named Pein."

"The leader," Sasuke explains and flicks off ash from his cigarette. He blows out in a thin, steady stream and watches as the smoke billows and then vanishes. "Any word on what they're recruiting for?"

Shikamaru shakes his head, and annoyance flits across his face, as brief as a passing cloud. "They're in Amegakure."

Sasuke grunts and takes in another deep breath. "Full of missing-nin. It's prime real estate." In the restaurant, Naruto is talking now, face scrunched up in anger and frustration. Ino is giving him sympathetic looks. "Names and locations?"

"No locations yet. But a few names. First; Kabuto," Shikamaru says, voice pitched low.

"Kabuto's dead." Sasuke breathes in on the cigarette again, the red ember flaring briefly to life at the end of the stick. "I would know. I killed him. Your contacts?"

Shikamaru gives him a look. "I don't give names, Uchiha." He shifts his gaze back to Ino and Naruto, who are now both sipping serenely at their drinks. "You sure he's dead? He's a skilled medic."

"I'm sure," Sasuke says and remembers pushing his hand through Kabuto's chest, grabbing the man's heart and squeezing the life out of it. "Look, if your intelligence is—"

"My intel is fine. I get perfectly good sources come to me with sightings of Orochimaru. Kisame and Itachi are in Amegakure, last I heard," Shikamaru picks up where he left off.

Sasuke doesn't flinch at the name anymore. He's had nearly a decade to practice that. "And?"

"Deidara and Sasori are recruiting in the Sound Village. What's left of it anyways."

Right before Sasuke had left Sound, he'd leveled it in a short, vindictive sixteen hour period. He'd pardoned everyone under Orochimaru's and Kabuto's command, told them, "Run." What's left, Sasuke thinks, watching as the fire crawls slowly up his cigarette, isn't much at all. "Well. They won't have much luck there."

Shikamaru gives Sasuke a sidelong glance. It's generally not talked about in the open, but there are more rumors swirling around Sasuke's experience in the Village of Sound than there are about Hatake Kakashi's hidden face. They range from mildly accurate (Orochimaru tortured Sasuke) to absurd (Orochimaru pimped Sasuke to raise funds for their traitorous cause). "I think they're after Naruto again," Shikamaru tells him. "Can't map out their movements for sure yet, but...I'm willing to bet they'll start heading towards Konoha fairly soon."

The Yondaime speaks then. "The kyuubi," he breathes. "They want it?"

"Yes," Sarutobi says, his voice heavy with resignation and regret. "Your son...He is never as safe as you would like him to be, Namikaze. They have tried, and succeeded, in kidnapping Naruto once already. I apologize."

Sasuke's eyes instinctively seek out the blond, who is now digging into his second bowl of ramen. Ino is still talking, tugging absentmindedly at her hair. Shikamaru follows Sasuke's lingering gaze. "Time to tell the Hokage?"

"Yes!" all four Hokages insist.

"No," Sasuke says, and wonders just how safe Naruto is in Konoha. Wonders if he will be able to protect him, if he can hide Naruto away in a tower somewhere, far from all of this, and lock the door with his own bones.

"I'm with you there," Shikamaru agrees, and then, "You going after them?"

The ghosts answer immediately. "_No_!"

"Yes," Sasuke says.

"When?" Shikamaru asks, putting out his cigarette.

Sasuke drops his cigarette onto the ground as well, and grinds his heel into it. "Soon. I have to heal first, and—" He looks at Naruto again. "Take care of a few things."

Together, they walk back into the restaurant.

* * *

"You are out of your mind," the Shodaime sighs heavily. "Four generations and Uchihas are just as stubborn as they were—"

"They'll slaughter you," the Nidaime points out bluntly. "Do you actually think you can do this?"

Sasuke rolls his eyes and turns on the Sharingan to look at the four Hokages. They're sitting across from him in a tight semicircle on his bedroom floor, looking down at the map that Sasuke has spread out in front of him.

"I was once an A-ranked missing-nin," he says, face neutral. It feels like he's interviewing for some job and is reading off his resume. "I killed Orochimaru and Kabuto. And I leveled the Village of Sound. I maimed nearly a hundred nin that day, the weakest of which was chuunin-level, and I came out without a scratch. Also, my Sharingan is more developed than you think. So yes, I'm fairly certain I can do this."

The Nidaime's eyes widen slightly at this, but he recovers quickly. The others are all stone-faced. "Akatsuki is composed almost entirely of S-ranked nin," Sarutobi says. "You cannot fight all of them. Go tell Tsunade. She is your Hokage, she can help."

"Who said I was going to fight all of them?" Sasuke puts in, and leans back against the side of his bed. "Besides, if I alert the Hokage, she'll play by the rules and ruin everything."

"Boy, the rules are what keeps everyone alive in this village," the Nidaime growls, and Sasuke feels a cool, threatening touch on his neck, the same he felt when he was aiming a Chidori at the Yondaime.

"What makes Akatsuki so dangerous is not their strength. It's because they don't _have_ any rules. If they catch wind that the Hokage is mobilizing her troops against them, if they see even a _single_ Konoha-nin trailing them, they will attack. Like you said," Sasuke says, and bends over the map again. "They're made up mostly of S-ranked nin, and we can't hold them back, not with the finest of Konoha. Orochimaru alone nearly toppled this village once before, and he was gracious enough to do it in broad daylight. Akatsuki won't be so kind."

"You seem to know a lot about this, boy," the Shodaime points. "That medic-nin called you a traitor, didn't she?"

Sasuke stills and wonders how he's going to answer that question. A year ago, he sat in front of a panel of equally powerful ninja, and had to explain himself to them. The Council, all withered and bent over, but still pulsing with dark, powerful chakra, had listened patiently to him, and in the end, had granted him his freedom. But back then, he'd had Orochimaru's mangled, rotting body by his side as evidence to back him up. Now, he has only his word. "Three years ago, I betrayed Konoha and joined Orochimaru because he said he'd make me stronger," he explains, and his hand automatically goes to cover his neck where the cursed seal is still etched into his skin, a permanent reminder of the choices he's made. "And then I returned."

The Yondaime's eyes narrow dangerously. The blond leans forward, tugging at his white coat angrily, the way Naruto does with his orange jumpsuit when he's upset. "You're going to kill Itachi?" the Yondaime seethes. "That's your grand plan to keep Naruto safe? You stupid, selfish brat."

"Pein, not Itachi. I'm going to kill Pein," Sasuke interrupts, and points at the map. "Here, here, and here—that's most likely where they're set up. The Land of Rice Fields is predictable enough, and if I were Itachi..." Sasuke takes a pen and makes two markings on the map. "Here. A floating HQ, and base stations at the four corners of the country."

The Nidaime disappears for a split second, only to appear right next to Sasuke, bending over the map thoughtfully. "Manpower?" he questions.

"Ten core members and twenty auxiliary ninja at any given time. A leader, two vice-captains, three lieutenants," Sasuke ticks off. "The others can be anywhere."

"They have dispatched two of them to the Village of Sound, though," says the Shodaime, and he appears on the other side of Sasuke. "Deidara and Sasori."

"They're lieutenants," Sasuke says, and then taps the back of his pen on the map again. "Which means they'll take a team with them. I'm guessing—"

"They will probably scope out the entire country while they're at it," the Shodaime cuts in, his slightly transparent finger sweeping over the large area of the Land of Rice Fields. "Are you sure you took care of everyone?"

"Everyone," Sasuke asserts easily. "I made sure. The village doesn't exist anymore."

The Nidaime gives him a flat look, the same expression that Kakashi has when sizing up Sasuke's performance on the field. "Impressive, boy."

"Not something to be proud of," Sarutobi argues, and closes his eyes. "I will not approve of this."

The Yondaime looks torn between contributing to the strategy plans and holding out like Sarutobi. Sasuke meets his eyes, and then very pointedly, looks at the picture of Team 7 he has on his night stand. The Yondaime follows his gaze, and his stare lingers for a few seconds. Then, with a pop, he's gone, only to reappear right across from Sasuke.

"Here," the Yondaime says, and points at a small village at the edge of the Land of Rice Fields. "It's a stronghold of missing-nin passing through the borders. Can you get any intelligence on this region?"

Sasuke grins, pleased, and does a few seals. A small coral snake appears. "Yuuta," Sasuke greets in a hiss, and lets the snake crawl up his arm. The snake looks at him with blank, cunning eyes. "Yes?"

The Hokages look expectantly at Sasuke, so Sasuke lets the snake slither from his arm onto the map. "Here," he says and points to the village the Yondaime singled out. "I want you to scout it out and keep me updated. Tell me what you see, and keep track of the chakra signatures of everyone who passes through."

Yuuta considers it, tilting his head slightly in a nod. "Report back when you get there and have established base."

"Very well," Yuuta hisses, and disappears with a pop.

"It's far," the Shodaime says immediately. "Your chakra can't possibly extend so much, Uchiha."

"I don't need chakra for my snakes."

"Right, right," the Nidaime says dismissively, smirking. "Forgive us, we forgot. You're Spirit-Boy."

"No," the Yondaime says, grinning, "He's Bird-Boy," and the Shodaime sniggers despite himself. Even the Sandaime's lips twitch at the name. Sasuke ignores all of them and goes back to the map.

* * *

Two hours later, Sasuke orders take-out and is digging his way through his third box of food when the Nidaime looks up from the map and asks, "What are you? A pig?"

His mouth full, Sasuke merely shrugs. "Let him be," the Shodaime says . "The boy is still growing."

Sasuke is about to say something when he hears the front door open. He pushes the map under his bed with one hand and rolls out a nondescript jutsu scroll with the other. By the time Naruto waltzes in, Sasuke is eating his food again, Sharingan gone. Naruto drops onto Sasuke's bed without even a hello and sighs heavily. "I'm in love," he moans.

Sasuke very carefully, and very slowly puts down his food. "I was walking back home after talking to that hag, Tsunade, right?" Naruto turns onto his side, and he's close enough that Sasuke can feel Naruto's breath reaching across the back of his neck. "_Right_?" For added measure, Naruto threads his fingers through Sasuke's hair and gives it a hard yank. "Right?"

"Right," Sasuke says dutifully, and slaps Naruto's hand away.

"Anyways, Granny got mad at me about something I said and kicked me out of her office. So I was upset, and then guess who I walked into!"

"Who?"

"Guess," Naruto prods and yanks at Sasuke's hair again.

Sasuke hates this. "Hyuga," he bites out and hears Naruto's delighted 'exactly.'

"And guess what Neji did!"

Sasuke really, really hates this. "Bought you ramen."

Naruto chuckles gleefully. "Yes, but it gets better—"

"Please, do tell," Sasuke bites out, and feels a cooling touch on his shoulder.

"Kid, here's the rule," the Nidaime explains slowly. "In unrequited love, you have to at least pretend to be happy for the other person."

"Oh my God, get away from my son," the Yondaime moans. "I mean it."

Sasuke ignores both of them.

"The waitress at Ichiraku bought me ramen, too." Naruto cackles a little maniacally. "Two bowls of ramen. _Free_."

"So who exactly," Sasuke snaps, turning around to look Naruto in the eye, "Who _exactly_ are you in love with?" They're very, very close now, noses almost touching.

Naruto gives him an odd look. "Ramen, obviously. I got my second bowl to go and brought it here for you." He taps the end of Sasuke's nose, smiling. A little dramatically, Naruto continues, "To spread the love."

Sasuke swats at him and goes back to the scroll, which, he realizes now, he's laid out upside down in his haste. Scowling, he rolls it close and tugs out another from his desk. "Hey, Sasuke," Naruto mumbles in his ear.

"What?" Sasuke forcefully reads the introduction to himself. _The Sharingan can be contained in three stages. With sufficient chakra control, the user can access each stage at will._

"You know what you need?"

"What?" Sasuke knows this scroll already, he perfected it nearly four years ago. _The first stage begins with minimal chakra input to the area behind the eyes. It allows the user to memorize motion._

"Love," Naruto breathes wistfully. "_All_ you need is love."

"No, Naruto, what I need is a drink and a smoke, and you out of my apartment," Sasuke mutters, and rolls up the scroll. Naruto is in one of his moods again. The playful, annoying one. The one where all the blond wants is to get under Sasuke's skin with his excessive, flamboyant happiness.

"Poor boy," Naruto croons and pats the top of Sasuke's head, smoothing down the hair there. "Such a poor baby. No one to love him. But it's okay Sas-u-ke. I'll love you. I'll give you all the love in the—"

"Naruto," Sasuke says patiently. "What do you want?"

"Nuthin'," Naruto nearly sings, and pats Sasuke's head again. "What were you and Shikamaru talking about today?"

So that's his real reason. Shikamaru didn't tell him, so he's trying to pry information out of Sasuke now. "How unbelievably dumb natural blonds are," Sasuke evades, and digs viciously into his food. Fucking Hyuga had dinner with Naruto. Again. What were they? Dating?

"I think I might dye my hair," Naruto says speculatively, ignoring Sasuke's jibe completely. "Brunet, maybe? What do you think?"

"I like you blond," Sasuke mutters and gets to his feet, kicking empty take-out boxes out of the way. When he looks down at the bed, Naruto is running contemplative fingers through his hair, which looks...different. Softer, smoother, crafted almost. There are wild, delicate wisps of hair around Naruto's face, framing it now, and Sasuke realizes just how much of a heart shape Naruto's face is. "What'd you do to your hair?"

"Huh? Oh! Ino said I needed a haircut." He puts his hand up and inspects his nails, which look polished and smooth. "She also said a manicure wouldn't do me any harm. It was odd. But hey, Hinata, Sakura, and Tenten were there, so it wasn't too bad. We watched the Sunagakure Kazekage nomination process on TV. I think Gaara's going to win, by the way." Naruto fiddles absentmindedly with the ear piercings he got nearly a year ago—three, packed together on his right ear's cartilage. "Anyway," he says, "We pigged out on junk food."

Sasuke sniggers. "I didn't know it was girls' night out today, dead last."

"Ha, very ha," Naruto says and follows Sasuke out into the kitchen, tugging at his large, white shirt that looks three sizes too big on him. "Just 'cause the girls are starting to like me now, too—"

"Because you're _one_ of them," Sasuke cuts him off, and finishes the rest of his food before opening the fridge. There's a thirty-pack sitting innocently on the top shelf with a post-it note in Kakashi's handwriting: Drink responsibly. Grinning, Sasuke grabs a can and shoves the take-out box into the back of the fridge.

He's about to kick the fridge door close when Naruto stops him and leans down. He rummages around before emerging again with the empty take-out box in one hand and the post-it note in the other.

"Responsibly," Sasuke intones seriously, and brings the can up to his lips. Naruto grabs it without further ado, and drops both the take-out box and the can into the trash. He moves about the kitchen before pressing a glass of water into Sasuke's hands. "Stop drinking so much. And seriously, brunet?"

Sasuke spends the next three hours in bed, watching Naruto patiently iron all his shirts and pants, thwarting his efforts to convince Sasuke into getting a manicure. "Stop eating so much, Sasuke," Naruto interrupts himself, and folds up a shirt neatly. "Anyway, as I was saying—What was I saying?"

"A bug fell in your food," Sasuke prompts, and attempts to drop a noodle into his mouth while lying flat on his back. It's mildly successful, but he gets some soup on his nose.

"Right, so I'm thinking, heck, I killed one of Shino's bugs, he's going to kill me, right? So I sit there, freaking out for about ten minutes, until I realize, maybe I should run for it, you know? Take off." Naruto turns to put away the shirt in Sasuke's closet and his voice becomes muffled. "But I figure, that's a pretty rude way to go about things. I mean, if I killed one of your snakes by, you know, _drowning him in my soup_, and took off without telling you, you'd be pretty upset."

"I would," Sasuke says noncommittally, and slurps a noodle out of the cup that he's balancing on his chest. He's getting good at this.

"See what I mean?" Naruto says, and turns back to ironing one of Sasuke's pants. "So I decide I should just get this over with, and I turn to Shino and say, 'All right, Shino, I love you, you know that, right?'"

The ramen cup on Sasuke's chest nearly topples over, but Sasuke catches it, and eases it to the ground. It's Shino now? "God fucking damnit," he hisses. Just how many boyfriends does Naruto have?

"Who is this Shino fellow?" the Yondaime's voice thunders in the room.

"Another boyfriend?" Sarutobi offers. "He's a nice boy, Minato. Don't worry."

"Really in demand," the Nidaime puts in.

"It does makes sense," the Shodaime says quietly. "You have a good-looking son, Namikaze."

"Thank you," the Yondaime says. "He inherited that from Kushina. He only has my eyes and hair, but everything else—"

"And Shino goes, 'Sure thing, Naruto.' And I say, 'I drowned your bug in my ramen.'" Naruto heaves a deep sigh. "He let me have it. But about halfway into trashing me around, Shikamaru figures it's a good idea to point out, 'Hey, Shino, buddy, this doesn't look like one of your bugs at all.'"

"That's nice of him," Sasuke scowls and closes his eyes.

"Isn't it," Naruto says dryly. "After I broke my finger, too. Look, Sasuke, what that stupid bastard Shino did to my finger. I mean, it's healed and everything." Sasuke obligingly turns and looks. Naruto's finger looks perfectly fine. "I mean, for a bug, it was pretty dramatic, you know?"

Sasuke refrains from mentioning that Naruto is drama on two legs. That everything about Naruto—from the way he walks to the way he breathes air—is dramatic, and that Naruto shouldn't be the one criticizing other people on excessive amounts of drama. He says instead, "Right."

Naruto goes back to ironing, grumbling under his breath about how there's wrinkles so deep in these things that—"Hey, you want to take me to dinner tomorrow?"

"Sure. Payment for doing my laundry."

"Don't push it, bastard," Naruto growls and wields the iron threateningly. "Let me remind you, if it weren't for me, your apartment would be a biohazard."

"You're just a neat freak."

"It's Iruka-sensei," Naruto mourns soulfully. "All his fault. Blame him. He raised me that way. Although..." Naruto trails off, making a face at some memory. "The lesson didn't really stick until I began to travel with Jiraiya. That man lives like a—" Naruto makes an expansive gesture, but doesn't finish his sentence. "I mean, the man didn't do his laundry for months on end, and if we stayed at any place for longer than a month at a time, it was awful. Did I tell you about that time when—"

"Iruka?" a voice inquires as Naruto rambles on.

"Ah, Namikaze, I never got around to telling you," Sarutobi explains quickly. "Iruka-sensei is a chuunin in our village. He took care of Naruto for the majority of his childhood, even risked his life to save him once. They're very close."

"And before I forget...About Iruka-sensei," Naruto says, and puts away the last piece of clothing. He snaps the closet door shut behind him and starts to fold up the ironing table, which he places up against the wall. "I think you should have dinner with him later this week."

Sasuke groans and buries his face in the pillow. His last last encounter with Iruka was right after he came back from Orochimaru. "He always yells at me."

The bed dips with Naruto's weight, and suddenly, Sasuke is falling onto the floor, just barely avoiding the ramen cup. Naruto settles in with a happy sigh. "He's just worried," he says, looking over the edge of the bed at Sasuke.

"About you or about me?" Sasuke snaps and sits up, rubbing at his head. It's probably going to bruise this time. "If I remember correctly, most of our conversations are about doing things to my private parts if I hurt you again."

"I like this Iruka," the Yondaime says decisively. "He and I—we understand each other."

Naruto grins and turns onto his back. "Go away," he commands regally. "I'm going to bed."

"In _my_ apartment," Sasuke scowls, but heads towards the living room anyway.

He's settling down on the couch when Naruto yells, "Oh _please_, you mooched off of me for an entire week, you bastard." Sasuke doesn't say anything, just turns onto his stomach. "And I took care of your sorry ass, might I remind you," Naruto says again from the bedroom.

Sasuke remembers very little of this month, mostly because he was out cold from some strange jutsu he'd gotten hit with. All he remembers is waking up and finding Naruto curled beside him, smelling of fresh laundry and shampoo. "Good _fucking_ night," Sasuke yells and pulls the pillow over his head.

"Well, sweet dreams," Naruto yells back, making it sound like an insult. "You _prick_."

Blessed silence. But then, "You're still taking me to dinner tomorrow!"

"Yeah, yeah," Sasuke yells back. He rolls onto his side, grumbling under his breath about how Naruto is going to drive him to bankruptcy at this rate.

A few minutes later, the Nidaime says speculatively, "They may actually be married."

"Shut up," the Yondaime grumbles, and takes a deep breath to start yelling at Sasuke again; about all the nasty, inhuman, and cruel things he'll do to Sasuke if he touches Naruto, thinks about touching Naruto, or if he even _thinks about **thinking** about touching Naruto._

Sasuke gets no sleep that night, but in the morning, Naruto makes him omelets and coffee, and serves them with a sleepy grumble before vanishing into the bathroom. As Sasuke eats, he can hear Naruto singing loud and off-key in the shower, and it makes the Yondaime's now routine bitchfest much more tolerable.

_End of Part Two_


	3. Three: The CO

**In Good Company**  
_Three: The C.O._

Sasuke dreams he's drowning.

When he looks up in his dream, struggling through the water and feeling his body get heavy and dragged down, he sees his cousin Shisui, reaching out a hand for him to take. When Sasuke finally gasps awake, it's sudden, and his Sharingan flares into life. "Shisui," he rasps out and starts to cough, clutching at his throat because it felt too real to be just a dream, and he's still drowning, but on air now.

"It's just a dream, boy," the Shodaime says. "Just a dream."

Sasuke pushes himself up, breathing heavily. He's drenched in sweat, the sheets clinging to his skin a little disgustingly. "Shisui," he whispers again and staggers to his feet. The clock reads 2:34 a.m., but there's no hope for him to fall asleep again. The Hokages step aside as he walks past them and heads into the kitchen. There's no food there, just alcohol, which is fine by Sasuke.

So he grabs a can and settles down in the couch, trying not to remember his last memory of Shisui. But every time he closes his eyes, he sees the body—bloated, rotting, _inhuman_, Sasuke thinks, and takes a swig of his beer, hoping the alcohol will somehow be enough to counter the horror of the image. It isn't.

Uchiha Mikoto had not wanted her son to see the body, but the entire compound had been abuzz with the news. Shisui was dead, Sasuke overheard, and with his hands shaking—_what does dead mean? Gone? For good? What?_—he'd run all the way to the Naka River where the police and older members of the clan had gathered. And Sasuke had watched, eyes wide as the body was dragged from the riverbed. It had been submerged for more than forty-eight hours, he would later learn. For forty-eight hours, Shisui had been left alone in that godforsaken water.

"Boy, you need to stop drinking," the Shodaime warns him, and he sounds genuinely angry. "Put down that beer and—"

Sasuke tunes him out for a few moments before he finally makes a decision. When he walks back into his bedroom, the ghosts follow, but he ignores them in favor of opening the door to his closet. He digs until he finds the kunai box. It had been his uncle's once; the Uchiha crest etched onto the lid of the box, starting to fade from the wood now.

"What's this?" the Nidaime asks, and Sasuke ignores him in favor of opening the box. He's thumbed through these pictures so many times now; he knows the order they're in, knows the faces he'll see, has memorized their smiles. Sasuke settles against the wall by the closet door, takes a swig of his beer and shuffles through the pictures until he finds the one he's looking for.

Shisui's smiles were always crooked, as if one side of his mouth was incapable of quirking up into a smile. He's like all the other Uchihas—dark-haired, tall, and handsome in a strictly traditional sense. Sasuke's mother had had high hopes for Shisui; that he would bring home the most beautiful bride the clan had yet to see.

Shisui taught Sasuke how to swim, had held him up in the water while Sasuke paddled and made an utter fool of himself. And once, when Shisui let him go (a little too early; Sasuke wasn't ready yet), Sasuke remembers sinking and being terrified, and Shisui lifting him out of the water with a laugh. Sasuke hadn't let go of Shisui's neck until the older boy had waded out of the water. Hadn't let go until Shisui carried him all the way back home and handed him over to Mikoto's open arms.

Sasuke fingers the edge of the photograph and shuffles through until he finds a second picture. This one is of Shisui holding Sasuke as a baby, looking terrified of the child in his arms. Sasuke is grinning toothlessly into the camera, wearing only a diaper, one hand fisted into Shisui's shirtsleeve. The story is that Itachi took that picture right before another picture was taken with Itachi and Sasuke.

Sasuke was always told as a child that he looked more like Shisui than Itachi. Sasuke runs a hand over the line of his jaw, wondering if his mother would still think so now. "He looks like you," the Nidaime says gruffly. "Who is he?"

"My cousin, Shisui." _My Brother_, Sasuke almost says, because that was what he was. Mikoto loved him like her own son, too, after Shisui lost his mother to breast cancer. Sasuke shuts the box and drinks the last of his beer. Shisui: Murdered by his best friend, drowned, and then falsely depicted as a suicide. This is what the Sharingan does to its users, Sasuke thinks, and remembers his own greed for it (still his greed, Sasuke knows, and worries waking up one day lusting for the Mangekyou enough to kill the one good thing in his life).

"I remember him," Sarutobi mutters, and falls silent for a few seconds. "He was a great warrior."

Sasuke laughs at that. "We're _all_ warriors. That's all we ever were." Men who know only how to fight and kill cannot possibly live any other way. War, that's when a Sharingan is in its element. "Peace unsettles us," Sasuke reminds himself. His grandfather told him that once, but Sasuke was too young to understand.

Nidaime clears his throat. "You must feel very lonely. I'm sorry for your loss."

Sasuke shrugs and puts the box away. He's gotten used to it by now. The sting is less painful when he takes stock of his life. When he looks at the Yondaime, the man has a pitying look on his face. "It's not that bad," Sasuke mumbles, a little unnecessarily. He starts to pull on clothes. "You get used to it."

"Where are you going?" the Shodaime asks while Sasuke starts to lace his shoes, pulls on arm warmers and gloves.

"For a run," he says. He does a few stretches.

"Now?" Sarutobi asks. "It's three—"

"I'd like to go alone," Sasuke interrupts and pockets his keys. "If you don't mind." He shuts the door on Sarutobi's face, ignoring the older man's defeated expression.

Sasuke does twelve seven-minute miles before his legs start to cramp in the chill of early morning. He returns to his apartment at six. The Hokages are waiting for him, silent, and still don't say anything even as Sasuke slips into the shower for nearly an hour.

Sasuke falls into his bed naked, wrinkled like a prune after his long shower, and doesn't wake up until ten, when the morning light streams in and interrupts his watery dreams.

* * *

Sasuke does fifty laps with Lee before he even reaches the bridge. Sakura and Naruto don't comment when Sasuke takes off his sweaty shirt and falls onto the grass to dry.

Sakura merely looks him up and down before saying, "Maybe more caffeine next time, Uchiha." And Naruto and Sakura launch into a lengthy, detailed analysis of different sources of caffeine, the best brands available in these sources, and the best way to make Sasuke ingest them. Sasuke ignores them both and closes his eyes to doze, enjoying the sun against his skin.

A few hours later—when Naruto and Sakura have moved on to the merits of free trade—Kakashi appears with a pop and a smile. "No missions today either," he says and sighs forlornly. "This is what peace does to a ninja."

"_Kakashi-sensei_," Naruto chides, and Sasuke rolls onto his stomach, because he knows exactly where this conversation is going. "How can you say that about peace—"

"Sasuke, you're late again, I see," Kakashi interrupts, and he's still casual. "Fifty—"

"Done." Sasuke feels the grass tickling his chin every time he talks. "Earlier today, around the village."

The Shodaime starts to laugh, a deep, booming sound that fills up the open space. The Nidaime joins, and eventually, the other Hokages also fall into slight hysterics. Sasuke hides his own grin into the grass when Kakashi kicks him lightly in the side.

"It's going to be a hundred from now on," Kakashi sighs. "I have something fun planned for you three today."

Naruto lets out an excited yell and Sakura cracks her knuckles expectantly. "_Finally_," she says and gives Sasuke a hard kick in the leg. "Get up, Uchiha."

Sasuke stays face down in the cool grass for a few more moments before pushing himself up into a sitting position. He lingers, yawning widely before getting to his feet. Sakura and Kakashi start walking away, Sakura talking excitedly about her ob/gyn rotations in the clinic, about how she delivered a baby—"And it was a _girl_, Kakashi-sensei, she was so disgusting and adorable and loud and..."

Naruto watches Sasuke with bright, wide eyes, his cheeks a little red. Sasuke stares back, sitting cross-legged on the ground. "What?"

"I think," the Shodaime says pleasantly, "Naruto is staring at you, Sasuke." Which is obvious enough, Sasuke thinks.

"Nothing," Naruto snaps and crosses his arms over his chest. "Let's go."

"If you're in such a hurry," Sasuke snaps back, "Go ahead—"

"As in," the Nidaime interrupts, "He's staring at you."

"Oh, God, someone please kill me now," the Yondaime moans. "My boy is actually interested in this delinquent?"

Sasuke thinks _oh_, and snaps his mouth shut. He gets to his feet, stretching a little more than necessary, and notices Naruto's face flush slowly but steadily.

"God," Naruto snaps suddenly. "You're so slow sometimes." And he rounds his back on Sasuke, jogging to catch up with Kakashi and Sakura. "Well," Sasuke says to himself and pulls on his shirt, ignoring the Yondaime's miserable wailing in the background ("...my son is ahhhhhh, oh my God, Sarutobi-sensei, what do I do?") and the other Hokages' careful consolations ("It's just hormones, Namikaze. The Uchiha kid is a good looking kid...").

Sasuke catches up with the others quickly. Kakashi leads them for some time, hm-ing and ah-ing at Sakura and Naruto's low-pitched rambles about their lives, the trees, the weather, and whatever strikes their fancy at the time. "Kakashi-sensei," they begin each sentence with, and it's like they're still twelve, trying to get the jounin's attention and approval, fighting between themselves to earn the next fond look or indulgent smile.

It's a little pointless, because they're all Kakashi's favorite in one way or another: Sakura for her intelligence and carefully suppressed anger issues; Naruto for his persistent compassion so overwhelming that even Kakashi doesn't freeze up anymore when the blond dives in for a hug; and Sasuke for...

Sasuke trails off, not sure how to finish that thought. Maybe for his Sharingan, he thinks, and bites down on the disappointment at that. Maybe because Sasuke reminds Kakashi of Obito, or Kakashi himself.

"Where are we going, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asks, and Sasuke can see her bright, green eyes already darkening in calculations, estimates, and guesses. Naruto looks expectantly up at Kakashi—still such a huge height difference between them, Sasuke thinks with a smirk, because Naruto seems frozen at just 5'7'', nearly a head shorter than both Sasuke and Kakashi.

"You'll see," Kakashi says and he sounds just a little too pleased with himself. Finally, he stops at a clearing by the lake. The three of them stare at him expectantly, and then, Kakashi fumbles around in his back pocket before pulling out something. He holds it up in a closed fist for a split second, and then opens his fingers wide. Two bells drop down and tinkle invitingly.

The three vanish, all of them grinning widely.

* * *

"So the point," the Yondaime is explaining to the others, "Is that one of them will inevitably be a casualty."

"Ooh, I see," the Nidaime says, sounding excited. Sarutobi and the Shodaime 'ah' as well, and the Shodaime turns to look at Sasuke. "How about this? I have a jutsu for you to try, boy," he tells him. "Ready?"

Sasuke wants to point out that this is really not the time to be trying out new jutsus, because he's crouching so low to the ground that he can practically smell the earth underneath him. The bush is tickling his skin and from this angle, he can see Kakashi clearly, reading his book on the branch of a tree. He's wide open from two different angles—everything else is rigged with traps. Naruto has set off one already; for Sakura and Sasuke to see.

"Focus your chakra into the ground, right beneath your fingertips. Search with your chakra until you find the roots of the trees. Have you found them?" The Shodaime demonstrates for Sasuke even as he speaks, and Sasuke watches, his Sharingan swirling with concentration. "By the time this jutsu is done, you should be able to manipulate the tree. Understood?" Sasuke nods. "Watch," says the Shodaime and his hands fly into seals. Sasuke's hands automatically start copying the movements. Then he feels it: The tug and pull of a tree, the one that Kakashi's leaning on. He watches the jounin to see if he has noticed and—there's a slight movement as Kakashi lowers his book a fraction of a centimeter, and then he's still again.

"Go," the Shodaime instructs, and Sasuke is flying just as the tree branch lurches and sends Kakashi tumbling down, two vines coming to wrap around his torso and slam him up against the tree trunk. Sasuke counts one, two, three traps, flashes by them all and is about to lunge at Kakashi when—there's no one there. "Shit," he hisses and feels someone right behind him.

Sasuke blocks a punch, a kick, a shuriken, and is about to retreat when he hears a rapid yell of seals. It the Nidaime, and Sasuke follows the orders in quick succession. Four walls come up around him, and another slides into place on the top, effectively shutting Sasuke inside a protective barrier. "Here's one," says Sarutobi and does a few seals. He presses his hand into the ground. "It's to move earth. More chakra, more movement."

Sasuke repeats the steps and then, hesitantly, presses some chakra down through his feet and into the ground below him. He sinks nearly a foot. He grins and begins to dig away from Kakashi and back into the bushes for cover when he hears the Yondaime behind him, "Oh, try this one. See if you can get it." Sasuke pauses and turns to look at the Yondaime, glowing an eery blue-white in the dark of the tunnel. The Yondaime does a series of seals for some time. "It's a water dragon," he says once he's finished.

Sasuke digs back up to the surface and sees Kakashi reading his book, looking bored. He looks at Sasuke and waves amiably. Carefully, Sasuke walks backwards until he's at the edge of the water. "Let's go, Uchiha," the Yondaime urges, and when Sasuke looks at him, he has a wild grin on his face, looking so much like Naruto in that instant that the corners of Sasuke's lips twitch into a smile.

"Here we go," Sasuke says to himself and starts to do the seals. The Yondaime joins him as a guide when Sasuke stumbles once with the seals. "Fine, you're doing just fine," the Nidaime coaches.

"Well, this is interesting," Kakashi mutters and puts his book away, his hands blurring into seals.

A giant two-headed water dragon rises out of the water behind Sasuke, and he turns around to stare at it, disbelieving. "It worked?" he says over the rush of water. The dragon roars, a loud gurgling sound that drenches Sasuke with water. He laughs, swallowing water accidentally. "It _worked_!"

"Impressive, boy," the Shodaime says, and he's also smiling up at the monster Sasuke has created. "Very, very impressive."

"The first try, too," the Yondaime yells over the rush of water, sounding just the slightest bit proud. "All right, let's see what this baby can do."

Sasuke urges it on towards the jounin, quickening it with his own chakra. And then, when he vanishes to start setting his own traps to get the bells, the Nidaime interrupts, "Come on, kid, I have a really good one."

"I have to get the bells," Sasuke hisses.

"You make it impossible for us to live vicariously through you," the Nidaime complains, sighing forlornly. He adds, "It's a fire jutsu."

Sasuke growls and turns back to face the jounin, who is now, satisfyingly enough, dripping wet. But he doesn't have time to listen to what the Nidaime has to say, because suddenly, there's another Kakashi right behind him, holding him down.

* * *

"How about an earth jutsu..." the Nidaime offers. It's an hour into training already, and Sasuke has about seventeen new jutsus memorized and stored away in his mind. "You're too slow, boy. There's no excuse for you getting stuck in here."

"I was doing fine until all four of you went off at the same time and distracted me," Sasuke growls, and then says, "And Nidaime-sama, I can't do jutsus."

"For the record, it was my turn," the Shodaime points out diplomatically. "If you would like to alternate the order, I will hear your suggestions." The others offer sincere apologies to the Shodaime, promise him that the current order (Shodaime, Sandaime, Yondaime, Nidaime) is just fine. The Shodaime nods, satisfied.

"Fire?" the Yondaime suggests after a while.

"I'd burn alive," Sasuke argues and wriggles life into his fingers. He's buried neck-deep in sand, and there's seven different traps around his head in case he moves—meaning jutsus are not an option right now. Naruto and Sakura are nowhere in sight.

"Oooh, this is a good one," the Nidaime says from where he's floating a few feet off the ground, examining the knots that Kakashi made on a nearby branch. "Well done, Hatake."

"Kakashi was always good with traps," the Yondaime mutters. "No way out."

"Actually..." Sasuke says, an idea dawning on him. The air around him fizzles and cackles with electricity. The problem with dealing with lightning is grounding. If the grounding is off, no matter how accurate the aim, it'll kill the user first. Neck-deep underground though, Sasuke really doesn't have to worry about it too much.

Sasuke's studied the traps for the past ten minutes now, so he already knows which order to disarm them in. A sharp crack and there's a blue whip-line cutting the first paper-seal in half. "One down," the Nidaime says, grinning, "Six to go."

* * *

By the time Sasuke traces Kakashi again, he senses Naruto and Sakura waiting nearby. The bells are still in Kakashi's hands. It's a tense moment, and then Sakura appears an inch away from Kakashi. She lets her fist fly and a large, large crater appears in the ground. Naruto appears a moment later, clones already in place. It's an impressive battle strategy that they've devised, Sasuke has to admit. They grapple, they struggle, and Kakashi dodges each and every single one of them.

An instant later, all is silent again, and Kakashi is parked neatly at the center of Sakura's crater, flipping through his book casually. "All right," the Nidaime growls then. "Either he's that good or you're seriously slow, boy."

The Shodaime mutters his agreement, "Will you be taking a bell or will you sacrifice yourself?"

Sasuke shakes his head slightly, and that is enough of an answer for the ghosts.

"I may have one," the Shodaime says a few seconds later. He waits for Sasuke's nod before starting an explanation. "It's a barrier. Barriers are usually used to protect, but you can also use a barrier as a cage. You'll need a seal facing South, East, West and North. I will tell you the blood seals, but how you are going to get it around your sensei is up to you. Ready?"

Sasuke nods and watches the Shodaime as he demonstrates. The Shodaime repeats it just to be sure, and the other Hokages offer tips (don't put too much chakra for the boar seal, it will ruin the balance; take your time with the eastern ward, it's the hardest out of the four...). He memorizes the seals, and does a mock run before the Shodaime is satisfied. And then; Sasuke waits.

He needs them close to Kakashi, but there's no way of him getting anywhere near the jounin without being noticed. Sasuke looks around, and then he grins. Carefully, making sure not to make too much movement, he plucks off four leaves from the tree he's hiding in and quickly places the seals onto them, biting down on four different fingers for four different samples of blood. Next to him, the Nidaime mutters an approving, "Good..."

"So he's not too slow," the Yondaime says somewhat grudgingly, and they all fall silent.

One, Sasuke beings counting, and blows the leaves into the air and towards Kakashi. Two. He watches them float about languidly, Sharingan swirling to keep track of which seal is which. Three. Four shurikens out, poised to strike. Four. The shurikens fly and instantly, Kakashi's attention is on them. The shurikens change trajectory mid-flight to curve slightly, and catch their intended leaf.

Kakashi doesn't move an inch as the four shurikens miss him by at least half a foot and land neatly on four different corners around him. He glances down briefly at the leaves, realizes their intent, and is about to jump away—"_Now_," the Shodaime orders, but Sasuke doesn't need any encouragement. He bites his thumb, draws blood, does the fifth seal and finishes the jutsu. Four paper-thin, blue walls rise up into the air, trapping the jounin in a small, contained box. Sasuke waits, because knowing Kakashi, he's probably going to vanish into a log, or a chipmunk, or dissolve into water. He doesn't do any of that for once. Just angles his head in Sasuke's direction, smiling.

_I won?_ Sasuke thinks giddily, and jumps down to his feet, approaching the jounin carefully on all fours, crawling around the man to scout for any traps. There are three, but two of them are intended for Naruto and Sakura and the third he can easily avoid. He disarms them all quickly and finally rises to his feet to amble up to the jounin. They consider each other through the blue wall. "Well," Kakashi says, "Get me out of here."

Sasuke grins. Like hell he'll let the man out. He, Uchiha Sasuke, is going to savor this moment. Behind him, Naruto and Sakura land neatly onto the ground. "What was that?" Naruto breathes and circles the barrier with disbelieving eyes. Sakura does the same, and finally, they both turn to stare at Sasuke. "That was so many cool, new jutsus!"

"Bet your ass they were," the Nidaime says, and Sasuke feels a cool touch on his head. "You remember all those jutsus, Uchiha, because it'd be a pain to teach them all to you again."

Sasuke tries very hard not to look too smug. But he has Hatake Kakashi trapped in a small box. _He_ has _Hatake Kakashi_ trapped in a small box. "All right, Sasuke," Kakashi sighs. "I understand you're proud of yourself, but you can undo the seal now."

Sasuke smirks, and nods at Naruto and Sakura. "Haruno, Uzumaki. Get the bells." At this, Kakashi's expression goes still. He watches Sasuke carefully, even as Naruto and Sakura move forward to claim their prize.

Naruto slowly, carefully, puts his hand through the barrier and tugs one bell away from Kakashi's hand. Sakura takes the other, and they hold it up, staring wide-eyed. "Wow," Naruto says finally. "I'm actually holding the bell. And not in a dream..."

Sakura waves hers around in the air a little. "You dream about them too?" She asks, rounding on Naruto (Sasuke has dreamed about the bells as well; he will, however, never admit this). "Although...it's kinda anti-climatic."

"You lose," Kakashi points out.

Sasuke shrugs. "Yeah, well. You're trapped. And they have the bells." He feels his face splitting into a grin all over again.

They stare at each other across the barrier for a few more moments, Sasuke grinning, Kakashi considering.

"Sasuke," Kakashi insists a few moments later, looking slightly irked now. "The barrier, please." Sasuke relents and does the unbinding seal. Once the blue walls fall away, the leaves start to smoke and then catch on fire, slowly burning away. They all watch silently, until Naruto interrupts, "How did you know this jutsu—_any_ of these jutsus you did?"

For the heck of it, Sasuke mutters, "I have these voices in my head..." and ignores both the disbelieving looks of Team 7 and the amused laughter of the Hokages.

* * *

The next morning, when Sasuke reaches the bridge (late, as usual), he sees a note pinned up on the tree in Sakura's handwriting: _No training today. At Ichiraku if you want to join us._ She's signed it with her initials. At least, Sasuke thinks, he has some time to train with the Sharingan now. He snatches the note and is about to leave when he senses Kakashi.

"I thought there wasn't any training."

"There isn't," Kakashi says, and drops to the ground in front of Sasuke. "But you're coming with me."

"I'm in trouble?" Sasuke scowls. "I didn't do anything."

Kakashi smiles. "You're not in trouble. Surprisingly enough."

"Then what?" Sasuke demands.

Kakashi just jerks a thumb over his shoulder. "Come with me," he repeats and starts to walk away. Sasuke falls into step, swallowing on the questions that he's itching to ask.

"This seems interesting," the Nidaime mumbles a few feet away from Sasuke. "Hey, Namikaze, you going to spend time with your kid or—"

"I want to watch this," the Yondaime says slowly. "Shodaime-sama? Sandaime-sama? Will you be coming, too?" The two men give their assents, and then all is silent again.

"Where are we—"

"Yesterday," Kakashi interrupts pleasantly. "All those jutsus. Where did you learn them?"

"Orochimaru," Sasuke lies easily. "Where are we—"

"That water dragon stunt you pulled, that was my sensei's favorite jutsu. Did you know? I learned it when I was very young."

The Yondaime chuckles next to them. "The brat wouldn't leave me alone until I taught it to him," he says, and sounds fond. "It took him three tries to master it. He was nine."

The Nidaime grumbles his approval of "This Hatake fellow."

Sasuke got the jutsu in one try, but he's already sixteen, so Kakashi still beats him by a wide margin. "Yeah, I know, when you were nine," Sasuke scowls, annoyed, and shoves his hands into his pockets. "Overachiever."

Kakashi's stride actually falters at that, and he gives Sasuke a long look. "How did you know that?"

"I counted backwards from the file you gave me," Sasuke lies.

The Nidaime scoffs. "Yeah, that sounds believable."

Kakashi raises an eyebrow, but doesn't ask again. "You didn't take the bells."

Sasuke wants to say, _No shit_, Hatake but that will probably win him a slap on the head. So he settles for, "There were only two."

"But you could have taken one," Kakashi points out logically. "You won the test. You had the right to one."

"That's not the point of the game," Sasuke scowls. "The point is to ensure that your team gets the bells...Didn't you invent this game?"

"I did!" the Yondaime interjects, indignant. "Come on, give a man credit where it's due—"

"Namikaze did, huh?" Sasuke says to himself and lets his Sharingan swirl. The Yondaime is now walking a little ahead of the group.

"That's Yondaime-sama to you, punk. And yes, of course I invented it. Nearly twenty years ago. Obito and Kakashi were miserable the first time around."

"He did," Kakashi says.

Nearly twenty years ago, Sasuke thinks to himself. Before he was even born. "God, you're old." Kakashi's hand flashes out to hit him upside the head automatically. Sasuke has gotten so used to these slaps now, he can't even find the energy or interest in him to protest them anymore.

But he's Uchiha Sasuke, and he'll be damned if Kakashi gets away with the last word in this. "I did the math," Sasuke goes on, stepping out of Kakashi's reach. "You're really old. Thirty."

"Thirty," Kakashi mumbles, "Is not old."

"It's practically senile. Explains all the white hair..." Sasuke says, and Kakashi's hand comes out to cuff him again, this time harder. Kakashi doesn't say anything else, though, so Sasuke smirks and adds to the scoreboard in his mind: Uchiha Sasuke - 7, Hatake Kakashi - 83. Sasuke is starting to catch up.

Kakashi starts heading up the stairs of one of the many large, training dojos in the village. He doesn't usually bring Team 7 to this end of the village, mostly because it's reserved for jounin and ANBU ninja and—according to rumors and Sasuke's own embellished fantasies—the dojos house the largest collection of weapons in the entire East, courtesy of the Nidaime Hokage. Sasuke nearly drools at the sight of the building.

As they walk down the corridors, they pass ANBU in uniform. Each time they do, the ANBU comes to a complete stop, steps aside and stands at attention until they pass. "Why do they do that?" Sasuke mutters, looking over his shoulder at the last ANBU. The man looks at Sasuke, the mask of a bird hiding his face.

"Ask them yourself," Kakashi answers , and then pushes open a door for Sasuke to walk through. They step into an arena with a viewing area set above. Sasuke has been in a hall like this before, for the chuunin exams. But this is much, much bigger. "For this training exercise," Kakashi says, not bothering with the preliminaries, "You can't use any ninjutsu and you have no weapons. You have a partner. Your mission—pay attention, Uchiha—Your mission is to get yourself across this arena. You have an hour."

"Fine," Sasuke mutters and drops his kunai holster onto the ground, stretching with a yawn. "Is my partner the dead last or Sakura—" Kakashi walks away before Sasuke can even finish the sentence. "Or not," Sasuke grumbles to himself.

"Remember the mission objective," the Nidaime mutters to him. "That's the only way to pass this exam."

"Don't give him any more clues," Sarutobi protests. "Good luck, Sasuke." The other three Hokages echo the sentiment and disappear as well.

Sasuke is about to yell a question at Kakashi's retreating back when someone drops down next to him, wearing a face-cloth like Kakashi. He has brown hair and blue-gray eyes. The man stares blankly. Feeling a little ridiculous—because his father taught him manners—Sasuke nods a hello and says, "Uchiha Sasuke." The man turns away from him to look resolutely at the finish line across the hall. "Right," Sasuke mumbles and looks away as well. The arena is quiet for a few moments before the earth starts to shift and pillars start to rise, slowly taking the form of humans—rock golems, Sasuke realizes.

Sasuke gets into a defensive crouch. His partner remains standing.

"What are you—" But Sasuke doesn't have time to finish the question, because there are at least a hundred kunais coming at them.

* * *

Nearly half an hour later, Sasuke is bruised, bloodied, and has a kunai lodged into the back of his thigh because his partner, apparently, is a—"Fucking _moron_," Sasuke yells at the man he's crouching over defensively. The man stares blankly up at him.

Whatever 'training' Kakashi had in mind, he wasn't really joking around, because although the golem-ninja attacking them are faceless creatures of Hell and crumble into rocks the minute Sasuke lands a good kick on them, their kunais are very, very real. Sasuke spent the first ten minutes of the exercise dodging kunais, picking them up, and using them against his own enemies.

Then he realized that his partner was getting pummelled to the ground, and had to switch tactics. Currently, they are taking cover behind two of the golems that Sasuke demolished earlier and pushed on top of each other to create a wall. They are still only twenty feet away from their starting point. Ahead of them, there is at least a quarter of a mile to go, littered with golems, who are waiting patiently for even an inch of Sasuke or his partner to emerge so they can pin their asses with needles.

"Fucking piece of shit," Sasuke mutters, and pulls out the kunai from his thigh. It didn't go too far in, but he'll need stitches for that later on. "Here's what we're going to do," Sasuke says after taking a minute to think. "You will _follow_ me, understood?"

The man nods his head.

"Think of me as your shield, all right, you idiot?" Sasuke growls out forcefully and watches as the man nods his head again. "Good."

Sasuke glances down at his watch. He's eaten up forty-two minutes already, so without further ado, he gets into a crouching position and arms himself with the kunai still red with his blood. "All right, then."

Sasuke manages to make it another ten feet in the span of one more minute before he senses that his partner is in deep shit again, so he lunges at him to help him avoid a stray kunai. "_What did I **just** tell you?_"

The man stares blankly up at him. Sasuke glares sullenly at the finish line. He has only eight minutes left.

"I fucking hate you," he growls at his partner. The man stares.

_Objective, accomplish the objective_, Sasuke says to himself. _Get yourself across the arena_, Sasuke thinks, and hears it being said in Kakashi's voice. _Get **yourself** across the arena_, Sasuke repeats to himself disbelievingly. He doesn't have to protect his partner, because his objective doesn't instruct him to do so. All he has to do is get himself across. He can cross this arena easily—it would probably only take him two minutes flat—but his partner, on the other hand, refuses to defend himself.

Uchiha Sasuke does not like to lose. This is how he generally lives his life—don't lose, don't fall behind, stay ahead. But the problem with this situation is that no matter how he looks at it, he's going to lose. Either his partner or the mission objective. This battle, Sasuke realizes, isn't even worth fighting.

So with a growl, he drops onto his back behind a dead rock golem and pillows his head on his arms. His movement proves another attack from the enemy, so Sasuke pushes his partner onto the ground next to him and lets the golem's crumbled body shield the attack. "Don't move till this is over," Sasuke instructs, and goes back to staring up at the high ceiling of the arena. "Piece of shit Kakashi and his fucking crap-ass excuse of a training exercise."

The partner is silent. The entire arena is silent, which is seriously starting to creep Sasuke out—just a little. "You're going senile, Hatake Kakashi the great goddamn Copy Nin," Sasuke yells as loudly as he can. "_Senile in your old age_."

Next to him, his partner says, "Five minutes to complete mission."

"How dumb are you?" Sasuke asks politely then. "I mean, really. How would you rate yourself on a scale of one to ten? Ten being you know your name, and one being you have a brain that's as big as your nuts. Which, let's be honest here, are probably not very big either."

The man says, "Four minutes to complete mission."

"I'll give you a two," Sasuke says generously. "Because you can apparently keep very good track of time."

"Three minutes to—"

"Here's an order for you. Shut up, shit face."

His partner goes silent for a moment before saying, "Two minutes to complete mission."

Sasuke doesn't say anything. Just grits his teeth and breathes in deeply to stop himself from killing his partner himself. He thought Naruto was hard to deal with, that Sakura was annoying. Nothing—absolutely nothing in this world—compares to his partner right now.

"One minute to complete mission," the man says solemnly. "You will fail to complete the mission if you don't cross the finish line."

"No, _really_?" Sasuke gasps. He is very, very bitter for not being able to complete as asinine a task as walking across a field. "I'd never have figured that out if you hadn't told me. Thank you _oh so very much_."

The man heaves a weary sigh and sits up. "Your hour is complete. You have failed the mission."

"Wow," Sasuke says, sitting up as well. The rock golems don't attack. Instead, they all crumble to the ground in one big heap. "You think?"

"Come with me," the man says roughly, and stands up.

Sasuke heaves to his feet as well. "I think I'll give you a three," he snaps at the man, falling into step beside him. "If you can talk then—"

"Please shut up," the man growls and runs a hand through his hair. He guides Sasuke out of the arena, around a corner, and up a set of stairs.

"Piece of shit Hatake Kaka—"

The man rounds on Sasuke and grabs his collar, shaking it for emphasis. "One more word about the Boss," he growls, "And I'll kill you myself."

"The Boss?" Sasuke says with a bark of laughter once the man lets go. They start to walk again. "Kakashi? The Boss?"

The man wrenches open a door and pushes Sasuke through it. It's a medium-sized room with a table in the middle. There are two chairs on either side of the table, and one side of the room has a large, black-tinted window. It's an interrogation room, no doubt about it—Sasuke has been in these rooms more than once already. The door slams shut behind him, so he walks up to the desk and sits down.

When he glances at the window, all he sees is his reflection, so he shifts his gaze to his palm, staring at the lines there—Orochimaru had taken him to a palm reader once as a joke, and the woman had, very seriously, said that Sasuke would father an entire flock of children, and perhaps he should consider getting a vasectomy?—when a snake pops up in front of him. It's Yuuta, and he swivels his head around before turning to look at Sasuke. "Where are you?"

"No clue," Sasuke mumbles. "Dog-Master got me into this shit. You have a report for me?"

"I established base," Yuuta hisses, sounding a little urgent. "There's a lot of high chakra-leveled humans in a single concentrated area. They're all moving out northwest, though. Do you want me to follow?"

"Follow them," Sasuke commands. He reaches out to rub at a deep scratch on Yuuta's back. It's still lightly crusted with blood so he asks, "What happened?"

"Eagle attacked," Yuuta says. "I killed it."

Sasuke isn't really the affectionate type, but he's already lost two of his snakes to Orochimaru and there is nothing worse than trying to summon one of his snakes and getting no response. There's only nineteen snakes now, including Rin, and he can't afford to lose anymore. So he says in a low voice, "Be careful."

Yuuta gives him a look before biting him on the hand lightly. He disappears.

Sasuke is sucking on the puncture wound when the door slams open and three men stride in. One of them has long, black hair, and it takes only a few seconds for Sasuke to recognize him. A Hyuga. "Your snakes summon themselves," the Hyuga patriarch states and sits down regally. The other two, with face-cloths, stand at attention against the wall behind Hyuga.

"They like to visit me," Sasuke drawls. "Why am I here?"

"You inherited them from Orochimaru," the man snaps, ignoring Sasuke entirely. "You can speak their language."

Sasuke leans back in his chair with a weary sigh. It's another one of those Are You Sure Orochimaru Is Dead interrogations, which means any plans he had of training today are going down the drain. "I already gave you people this information."

"The mission," the man says, and it's like Sasuke doesn't exist, because Hyuga is carrying on this conversation over Sasuke's head somehow. "Was to get yourself across the arena. You failed."

"Wow," Sasuke says, throwing his hands up in the air. "I am just amazed at how intelligent people are in this place—"

"You gave up," Hyuga interrupts. "And here I was, thinking that the Uchiha Clan were people of more mettle."

"The Uchiha Clan, Hyuga," Sasuke hisses, and leans forward in the chair a little. "Doesn't need to explain itself to anyone."

"You gave up," Hyuga says again, smirking. "Uchiha Sasuke, can't even walk across an arena—"

"Because the assignment was stupid," Sasuke snarls, getting up at the taunt. "Look, I'd love to chat with your high and mighty ass another day, but for now, I have better things to do."

Sasuke turns to leave when Hyuga thunders, "Sit down, boy."

"I don't have to answer to you," Sasuke hisses, rounding on Hyuga. He lets his Sharingan swirl into life, because he is sick and tired of the Hyugas' superiority complex. And this man reminds him of a certain other Hyuga that Sasuke really doesn't like very much at all. "I don't have to answer to _any_—"

"Hey, punk," Kakashi's voice says lazily over the intercom. "That was an order."

Sasuke clenches his fists by his side and considers the consequences of walking out. Sasuke can completely ignore Tsunade, he can betray Orochimaru and face down the Five Kages themselves, but Kakashi—God damn the man—is Kakashi. So Sasuke wrenches the chair back and sits down again, breathing deeply to control his anger.

"You managed to get to 23.2 feet," Hyuga says and smirks again. "That's an all time low."

"The partner you gave me," Sasuke says, "Was a defenseless—"

"He's one of the more advanced members of our squadron," Hyuga says pleasantly. "It would be in your best interest to refrain from insulting him any more than you already have."

Sasuke scoffs, rolling his eyes.

"You spent the first forty-three minutes defending your partner. Then, you abandoned the mission and rested."

"There was no point in completing the mission," Sasuke drawls out. "My partner would have been a casualty."

"The mission objective—"

"I got that," Sasuke sighs. "The mission objective didn't require my partner to cross the line with me. I could have just abandoned him and gone across."

Hyuga's eyes narrow a fraction. "You understood the objective, then."

"You'd be an idiot not to," Sasuke mutters and glances at the two men flanking the wall. "Who are they? Your cronies?"

"The fact that you understood the objective and didn't accomplish it regardless," Hyuga says, standing, "Makes you even more of a failure."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "You _wanted_ me to abandon my partner?"

Hyuga looks down at Sasuke, head held high. "The job of a ninja is to finish the mission," he says. He sounds condescending, taunting, when he adds, "I'm surprised you haven't been taught that by your esteemed teacher Hatake—"

Sasuke shoots to his feet even before the Hyuga can finish the sentence. The movement topples his chair over with a loud crash. "Ninja who think like you are—"

"Following rules. My men are in the habit of doing just that. If you can't, you have no place here," Hyuga finishes easily. "Trust me, Uchiha, ninja like you who don't follow rules and orders are—"

"Trash?" Sasuke hisses, and Hyuga's words sting more than they should. Sasuke's been down that path, and he has Naruto's sky-blue eyes as a reminder of the decisions he's made. "I know. But you know what's worse than trash? People who don't protect their team."

"Is that another one of Hatake's teachings?" Hyuga scoffs and he sounds so patronizing it makes Sasuke's blood boil. "Typical of him to—"

Sasuke nearly disappears in his speed. He has Hyuga slammed up against the far wall, a hidden kunai against his throat an instant later. Hyuga stares blankly into Sasuke's eyes, a smirk still curling his lips upward. "You say one more word about him, Hyuga," Sasuke hisses and presses the kunai harder against the carotid. "Mark my words, I'll rain down a _world_ of hurt on you—"

"Let him go, kid," Kakashi says over the intercom. He still sounds unbelievably bored. Sasuke shoves Hyuga up against the wall one more time as warning before letting him go and storming out of the room. The minute he closes the door behind him, though, he runs into Kakashi.

Sasuke points at the closed door behind him. "Who the _hell_ does he think he is?"

"He's the ANBU Captain, that's who," Kakashi says and puts his book away before looking pointedly at the closed door. "Watch your temper, Uchiha."

"I don't care who he is," Sasuke seethes. He pushes past Kakashi and is about to walk away when Kakashi grabs the back of his neck, hard.

"I realize you don't," Kakashi mutters and pushes the door open with one hand and drags Sasuke in with the other. Sasuke hisses obscenities in snake tongue and lets his Sharingan swirl into life again. He sees the Hokages then, casually stepping through the wall and into the interrogation room. They're all smiling or grinning, and even the Yondaime looks grudgingly pleased.

Kakashi kicks Sasuke's chair upright and shoves him down into it, letting his hand fall heavily on Sasuke's shoulder; a warning. Sasuke glares at Hyuga across the table, clamping his jaw down on the insults crawling up his throat. "Uchiha here," Kakashi says in his usual drawl, "Understood the objective. Which means he passed."

"He failed the mission," Hyuga counters firmly, looking at Sasuke still. "And he very obviously has trouble following orders."

"I'm working with him on that," Kakashi says and pats Sasuke's shoulder. "Shall we move onto the next round?"

Hyuga finally looks away from Sasuke and up at Kakashi, eyes narrowing dangerously. They consider each other for a few moments, Kakashi's one visible eye still curled into a smile. There is a tense moment that has Sasuke itching for a weapon, and then it passes. Hyuga stands up and snaps, "The next round, then."

Kakashi waves goodbye at the man as he walks away. The two bodyguards pause to nod respectfully at Kakashi before leaving as well. The minute the door closes on them, Sasuke gets to his feet. "What the hell is going—"

Kakashi slaps him upside the head. "Thirty is not senile," he says, and walks out as well.

Sasuke doesn't have time to even understand the context of what's happening, because he gets shown into a bathroom by another face-cloth wearing man. He has a white vest thrown over his clothes; a medic. He patches up Sasuke's injuries, takes a vial of blood, and asks for a urine sample. "Look," Sasuke says, turning to look at the man. "I can't piss with you staring at me like that." The man continues to stare, so Sasuke turns back and focuses on the wall over the urinal. Eventually (twenty minutes and two bottles of water later), Sasuke emerges from the bathroom.

Kakashi and Hyuga are waiting for him. They lead him outside, to a large opening surrounded by all the dojos. It's a forest, Sasuke thinks, mouth dropping open a little. It's a miniature, indoor forest. "Get across," Kakashi instructs and points at the other end of the large, large area. "Don't be seen, don't engage. There are enemies stationed around this land. No ninjutsu, no genjutsu, and no weapons. You have an hour"

Sasuke stares at him. "Are you serious?"

"Just do it, boy," the Nidaime growls in his ear.

"Right," Sasuke says and walks towards the tree line. He looks over his shoulder at Kakashi for a brief second before he's gone, blurring in his speed.

* * *

Sasuke's shirt is ripped, and his back is so sweaty that dirt is starting to cake onto his skin. He is disgusting, Sasuke thinks with a grin, but he's also blending into the canopy so well that the man twenty feet from him has no idea that Sasuke is breathing down his neck.

_Easy does it_, Sasuke thinks, and slowly climbs down to the forest floor (fake, man-made, tiny forest floor, Sasuke corrects) and crawls on all fours around the man and up the next tree. It's twenty minutes into the exercise, but Sasuke is nearly at the finish line.

Hiding is Sasuke's forte, and Sasuke is well aware of this. Being Itachi's younger brother and Shisui's cousin has taught Sasuke a great many things, but patience and disappearing into the shadows are the best lessons of all. They used to play hide-and-seek together, and once (_once_) Sasuke had hidden himself so well that Itachi and Shisui lost the game (Sasuke was in his great aunt's kitchen pantry, in the very back behind a large gourde of homemade sake, holding his breath every time the door opened. Eventually, Sasuke had gotten bored and taken a sip of the alcohol. He'd been raging drunk by the time Shisui found him).

Sasuke eases his way past two more enemy guards—there are more of them towards the end now, Sasuke thinks—and waits patiently for what is bound to happen. It takes a few moments, but eventually, all the enemy trickle towards the other end of the forest, where Sasuke's left dummies for them to find (thus the ripped shirt, pants, and socks; sacrifice is necessary after all) and get distracted by. There is also a trap at each of these dummies, the kind that Sasuke used to rig in the Academy using twigs, rocks and logs.

Grinning, Sasuke reaches the end, and glances up at the viewing area. Kakashi and Hyuga are waiting patiently on the balcony. For once, Kakashi is not reading a book, just scanning the trees. The Hokages are also there. Sasuke scouts the area for any more ANBU, and sensing none, climbs back down to the forest floor.

He waits, crouching, muscles tense, until Hyuga and Kakashi are looking away. Then, he blurs again, disappearing through the doors and into the building. "That's that," he says, and dusts himself off. It takes a few minutes, but he eventually finds the door leading to the balcony. Stretching his arms over his head, Sasuke walks over to Kakashi. "What's next?"

"Well _done_," Sarutobi immediately says. "That was one of the finest performances I've ever seen, Sasuke!"

"Bar none," the Shodaime enthuses. "I didn't even notice you enter the building.

The Nidaime puts a cold, icy hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Your speed was impressive, boy."

"You're a mess," Kakashi says, and doesn't look at Sasuke, focusing on the trees still. "Those traps you set up were childish."

"I thought they were a nice touch," Sasuke defends lightly. "Are we done?"

"Not yet," Kakashi sighs and turns to Hyuga, who is considering Sasuke carefully.

"One last test, Uchiha," Hyuga says, and it doesn't sound so insulting any more.

* * *

Sasuke is bored and, more importantly, angry. "Senile," he grumbles under his breath, but continues to run on the treadmill as per his instructions.

He's spent the last three hours going through all sorts of crap with only his taijutsu and Sharingan to rely on. He's battled two jounin and two ANBU. In the process, he's gotten stabbed, beaten, and slammed so hard into a wall that he flew right through it and into an outside courtyard. His battle with the second ANBU had nearly ended in a stalemate. But then, Sasuke had spotted Hyuga standing with a smug grin on the viewing platform, and that was inspiration enough for Sasuke to cast a terrifying illusion on the ANBU that had the man rooted to the spot, shell-shocked.

The illusion, Sasuke is not ashamed to admit, is inspired by Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu. Only modified—which means the ANBU got to live out his best, most desired sexual fantasy. It lasted only for a few seconds, a distraction, nothing more, but that was enough for Sasuke to bury the man into the ground. And flip off Hyuga triumphantly.

He's shown to showers after his last match and Sasuke spends ten minutes watching brown-tinged water drain away. When he comes out, towel wrapped around his waist, there's two people—a man and a woman—waiting for him, wearing medical vests and holding clipboards. Sasuke spends a good twenty minutes trying not to be too uncomfortable as they do a quick physical checkup. They poke, prod, and ask questions about each and every single scar on his body ("That's from Orochimaru," Sasuke explains, pointing to one curving around his torso. "Torture session." The woman stares at him, going pale. He explains away the scars on his back from his wings by saying they're from Kabuto).

After muttering under their breaths about his chakra pathways ("This level is normal for you?" the woman asks. "Yes," Sasuke says, and lets lightning dance from his fingertips), they give Sasuke loose-fitting shorts, a pair of shoes, and usher him into a room with two sections. There's a treadmill, a bike, and weights on one side, and a small glass-enclosed room on the other. They hook up wires from medical machines to Sasuke's chest, and before disappearing into the glass room, they tell him to run as fast as he can, for as long as he can.

Which is how Sasuke ends up running on a treadmill, staring at a screen with a picture of his body colored orange, yellow, blue and red. There are also vitals listed: Heart rate at 104; breathing at an even 16; blood pressure at 112/76. The woman keeps leaving the glass room to inform Sasuke, a little unnecessarily, that he can stop when he feels tired. But the thing is; she doesn't realize that Sasuke spends most days doing fifty laps around the village, that he actually enjoys running, and spends a good amount of his workout schedule dedicated to picking his way through forest trails. At 30 miles, the man orders Sasuke to stop, giving him an odd look in the process. He and his colleague come to unhook Sasuke, handing him a pair of loose sweats and a shirt to change into. Sasuke tugs on the clothes roughly and follows them into another room.

Kakashi and Hyuga are waiting for him. The room is relatively bare: A table with a chair on either side, and a wooden box on the table. Kakashi is at the back of the room, slouching comfortably against the wall. Hyuga is sitting on one end of the table; the other chair is empty. Sasuke takes the seat across from Hyuga and watches the woman hand a clipboard to him. "How does he look?" Hyuga mutters, as if Sasuke wasn't sitting directly across from him.

"I'm fine—"

"I wasn't talking to you," Hyuga snaps and turns back to the woman. "Well?"

"Damaged; but still functioning at a very, very high level," the woman says, shrugging. "His left leg is a little weak, but his chakra pathways are..." She gestures widely. "Inhumanly huge."

"The muscles in his back are odd. There's two symmetrical scars down his back. They seem to be the result of some kind of repeated trauma, still relatively fresh," the man puts in. "I'd recommend a scan, for follow-up."

"Odd, how?" Hyuga presses, and Kakashi steps in neatly with a fabricated answer. "He was tortured by Orochimaru. The muscles didn't heal properly, but I've put him through physical therapy."

"I'm fine," Sasuke reiterates and is glad that Kakashi is there. He's not sure he can explain wings to the village officials.

"Well, then." Hyuga flips through the pages on the clipboard. "Your blood test came back clean."

"He should be dead," the man interrupts urgently at the mention of Sasuke's blood. His words sounds hurried. "There's several thousand milliliters of snake venom in his system. All kinds. We detected rattle, cobra, mamba, several breeds of water snake—I've never seen anything like it. If someone were to accidentally ingest just a few drops of his blood; it would be only a matter of seconds before the venoms hit. He's a walking..."

"Bioweapon. A walking, talking bioweapon," the woman supplements when the man trails off.

"When your snakes bite you," Hyuga says slowly, leaning forward, eyes focused on Sasuke in interest. Even Kakashi looks a little surprised to hear about this. "Do they poison you?"

"Tough love," Sasuke sighs carelessly and sits back in his chair. He can feel the chill of the metal through the flimsy fabric of his shirt.

"It's freakish, that's what," the Nidaime growls, sounding just a little bit queasy. Sasuke's Sharingan flares to life in time to see the Hokages stepping through the wall. "You done here?" the Nidaime asks.

"Seems so," Sarutobi says. "Let's see what Hiashi decides..."

"Thank you," Hyuga tells the two examiners, and they bow respectfully before leaving the room. He turns to look at Sasuke. "There is the matter of your loyalty to Konoha, but I've been assured by Kakashi that you're allegiance lies with this village and country."

Sasuke takes care to keep his face completely neutral. It's not necessary for Hyuga to point this out. The villagers still refuse to make eye contact with him. "You had three tests today. You nearly failed the first, but you finished the other two reasonably well. So now you have a choice." Hyuga pushes the wooden box across the table, towards Sasuke. "You take it, or you leave it. I don't intend to make this offer to you again. You have an hour to make your decision." And with that, he leaves the room.

Kakashi lingers, still leaning against the wall, watching as Sasuke stares at the box. "What the hell?" Sasuke says to himself and glances up at Kakashi.

"Open it," the Nidaime urges, and the Yondaime puts in, "Don't you want to know what's inside?"

Sasuke flips the lid off the box and stares at what he sees.

It's a white, wooden mask with a pointed nose, looking slightly like a dog or a wolf. There are deep maroon-colored markings on the sides. "ANBU?" Sasuke asks dumbly.

Kakashi takes the seat across from Sasuke, where Hyuga had been only a moment ago. "You don't have to take it. I just wanted you to have the option."

Itachi became ANBU at thirteen, Shisui was ANBU at twelve. Sasuke fingers the design on the cheeks of the mask. "The Hokage trusts me now, then," he notes. Daringly, Sasuke picks up the mask, and is surprised to learn how light it is. "Is this a wolf?"

"You were young, you made a mistake. People have done worse," Kakashi says after a moment. "And no, that's not a wolf. It's a dog."

Sasuke puts the mask in the box and closes it. He has to ask, so he does. "Did you have to pull strings—"

"No," Kakashi interrupts cleanly and gets up to leave. "You passed on your own merit."

Kakashi is at the door when Sasuke asks, "Why a dog?"

Just when Sasuke thinks that he's not going to answer the question, Kakashi looks over his shoulder and says, "It used to be mine."

* * *

Sasuke had always thought that getting an ANBU tattoo was some sort of secret, intensely moving ritual. It isn't. In fact, it is the most anti-climatic way to end his day.

A balding man came into the room, ordered Sasuke to remove his shirt, and spent a quick fifteen minutes tattooing Sasuke. He then shoved a large box at Sasuke—his uniforms, apparently—before he left the room. So now, Sasuke is carrying the large box—and the smaller wooden one, with the ANBU mask—and trudging down the already darkened streets of Konoha.

He is tired, cold, and hungry, and his arm is starting to sting a little. It's all made worse by the fact that the Hokages are jovially dissecting his performance minute by minute, jutsu by jutsu. Including the Sexy No Jutsu illusion that Sasuke was forced to confess. "Although," Sarutobi is saying, "That illusion was a little shameless."

"It was perfect," the Nidaime defends staunchly. "He understood his enemy's weakness and exploited it."

They debate the merits of Sasuke's performance and whether he is truly worthy of wearing Kakashi's ANBU mask even as Sasuke dumps the boxes in his living room, crawls in between his sheets and falls asleep.

In the morning, they're _still_ talking about it, so Sasuke resolutely ignores them and goes about getting ready. He's about to slip out of his apartment (he's actually going to be a little early today—it's only 7:30) when he realizes that he has yet to check out his uniform. He stares at the brown box for a moment, the knowledge of Kakashi's old mask still weighing heavily on his mind. Eventually he shifts his gaze to the other, larger box.

"Well, open it," the Nidaime urges.

Sasuke slips out a kunai and slides it across the tape holding the box folds together. It pops open and Sasuke sees several uniforms packed neatly together. On top of it, though, there is a small note. It reads: Report at 0730 hours, ANBU Building, 2nd floor, meeting hall.

"My boy," the Shodaime says cheerfully, "You're late."

"Fuck," Sasuke groans and is about to rush out the door when the Nidaime says, "With your uniform, Uchiha. Change into your uniform! And don't forget your dog tags." Sasuke tugs on his uniform quickly with the help of the Hokages, who instruct him on how to pull on his white breastplate, how to thread the mask around his face, and everything in between. Sasuke slips out his window, still adjusting his gloves, and manages to make it to ANBU HQ in ten minutes. It's already 8:00 by then.

Sasuke nearly trips over himself in his hurry to run down the stairs. He doesn't know where he's going, how he's going to get there, and the worst part is that he's late now for his first ANBU meeting. "Take a left," the Nidaime says hurriedly in his ear.

"No, no, take a right," the Yondaime corrects. "They changed the layout when I was—"

"It's actually straight ahead," Sarutobi says pleasantly.

Sasuke nearly runs to the door, and when he approaches it, he takes a few seconds to calm down. Once he has his heartbeat back under control, he pushes into the room. Only to have the entire ANBU squad turn around to look at him. Hiashi is at the front, looking regal and commanding.

"You're late," Hiashi thunders.

"And royally screwed," the Nidaime says into his ear. "Say goodbye to the uniform, kiddo."

"There were baby dolphins," Sasuke says, and it's out of his mouth before he even registers the idiocy of something like that. He's spending too much time with Kakashi. This, if nothing else, is proof. "Drowning."

Hiashi stares at him, and a few of the ANBU sniggers. "What?"

"Dear God, it runs in the family," the Yondaime groans. "Obito used to—"

"There were baby dolphins drowning," Sasuke repeats, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. He has to stick by his story now. No matter what. "I had to save them. ANBU duties and everything." There is some more muffled sniggering in the crowd.

Hiashi levels his gaze at the ANBU again and says, "Sign up for patrol duty by the end of today. I want the rosters filled for this month. Missions will be handed out at 0900 hours. New recruits, report to Jiro. The rest, dismissed."

Sasuke lingers by the door, unsure of what to do or where to go when he sees the dog (more like a wolf now, Sasuke thinks, and tries not to kill it out of reflex when it growls at him). Kiba appears a few seconds later, face hidden by cloth. "Well, well, if it isn't the great Uchiha."

"Inuzuka," Sasuke says and can't help but wonder how the dog-boy made ANBU as well. He'd known that Kiba had made chuunin, that he was toying with either jounin or ANBU for a while now (courtesy of Naruto, who keeps Sasuke updated on the lives of everyone in the village). He just hadn't thought that Kiba would pass.

But then again, Sasuke thinks, he'd defected from the village for a little over two years. That should have been enough time for the dog-boy to master his skills. "Wasn't expecting to see you here," Kiba mutters, and there's an insult in his words that makes Sasuke's skin itch with unresolved anger.

"Likewise."

"Unlike some people, Uchiha, I didn't get here by association—"

Sasuke takes a deep breath, but the Sharingan is flaring already. "Enough, both of you," someone interrupts. Sasuke is surprised that he hasn't sensed Shikamaru before this, but the man has a way with blending into shadows. "We need to report to Jiro sometime today," Shikamaru calls out. "Aburame, Hyuga, you coming?"

"You should tender your resignation," the Shodaime says suddenly, sounding very serious. "Before you kill the Hyuga boy."

"I second that," the Yondaime grumbles. Sasuke ignores both of them and concentrates on not starting another war with Neji. Another ANBU approaches, and this one has a loose-fitting cape around his ANBU uniform. "Uchiha," Shino mumbles and walks past Sasuke with a slight nod. Neji walks over a little more cautiously. He gives Sasuke a blank look before walking by.

"Let's go," Kiba growls and follows Shikamaru out the door. Sasuke trails after, a little behind the group.

They find Jiro in a small meeting room, flipping through manila folders. He's leaning against the table in the room. The man grunts a hello when the four of them walk in and glances up, bright brown eyes sizing up the new members. "All right, ladies, welcome to ANBU. Say hello to each other if you haven't met yet. You'll be in the same group. I'll be your commanding officer, and as your C.O., my word is law."

The five of them sit down, and for a second there's only the scraping of chairs for noise in the room. "I've been through your files, so we can skip the ice-breakers..." Jiro pushes himself off the table and stretches. "I will be evaluating your progress for the next few weeks. If satisfactory, you'll be taken off probation. Any questions?"

Sasuke clears his throat and the entire room turns to stare at him. "Is Kakas—"

"You should call him the Boss," Jiro interrupts. "Otherwise people will doubt the merits of your acceptance into ANBU. I don't want my team to be thought of as anything less than the best."

"Nothing to doubt with the Uchiha—" Neji begins, and Kiba snorts.

"Oi, that's it," the Nidaime yells loudly. "Let me at him!"

"Calm down, Tobirama," the Shodaime chides patiently.

Jiro rounds on them before they can finish. "I won't tolerate any of your childhood Academy issues in this squad. If you have something between yourselves, take care of it when you're not in uniform."

Neji goes silent, eyes narrowing dangerously. Sasuke clamps down on the retort crawling up his throat. "Is the Boss ANBU?"

"No, he isn't. Now that you're ANBU, you'll have to familiarize yourselves with the hierarchy of this village. The Boss is the Commander of the Joint Forces, outranked only by Tsunade-sama herself," Jiro answers and motions for everyone to follow him.

This is news to Sasuke._ So that's what Kakashi does when he's not babysitting Team 7, _Sasuke thinks. He's running the damn village. Naruto probably knows already, and Sakura as well. Sasuke, as always, is the last to find out about these things.

Jiro guides the group down a corridor. He rounds a corner and then ushers them into a locker room. There are several men walking around with only towels tied around their waists, still dripping wet from showers. "Gentlemen! I'd like to introduce you to the newest creepers, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba."

Everyone in the room pauses to look at the group. They all say, "Hey, man!" together, and some raise a hand in greeting while others grin. "How did the dolphin rescue go, Uchiha?" someone asks.

"Unfortunately, some tuna fish became collateral," Sasuke answers blandly and is surprised to hear the men laugh out loud. Even Kiba sniggers, looking a little guilty when Neji levels a blank stare at him.

For years now, stuck with Sakura and Naruto, Sasuke's come to think that he doesn't have a sense of humor. But these ANBU are actually laughing at what he has to say. Either Naruto and Sakura are abnormal and have no sense of humor, or ANBU are just as odd as Sasuke is.

Jiro loops an arm around Sasuke's shoulder, chuckling. "This is going to be a fun squad." He tugs up his face-cloth and ushers the group out of the room and down the corridors again. "The locker room you can use whenever you want to. You have your own space in there somewhere. Now, put on your masks, gentlemen."

The recruits follow the order. Jiro turns to say something, but comes to a sudden stop. "That's the Boss' mask," he says, voice holding no hint of emotion. "You get it by random?"

Sasuke isn't quite sure what answer would be best suited for this situation. So he settles for the truth, making sure to avoid Kiba's and Neji's gazes. "He gave it to me."

"And you earned it," the Shodaime puts in encouragingly.

Jiro doesn't say anything, just turns around and continues to walk. Neji gives Sasuke a lingering look before following. When they reach the mission room, it's filled with ANBU and Jounin. There's a row of desks at the front of the room, and a line of men in front of each of them. "We do patrols with Jounin," Jiro says next to Sasuke, "Go sign up for a shift. You'll operate as a group. Just hope you don't get stuck with the Eastern Gate."

"What's wrong with the Eastern Gate?" Kiba asks, but Jiro is already walking away.

"Right," Sasuke mumbles under his breath. "Let's go." He leads the way to a desk at the front, the other four close at his heels. Kurenai is sitting behind the desk when he finally reaches it.

"Kurenai-sensei," Sasuke says.

"Just Kurenai will do now," she corrects. "Congratulations. All of you." Her gaze lingers a little fondly on Kiba and Shino.

Sasuke shrugs and glances down at the roster, which is nearly filled. The Eastern Gate column is woefully empty, but there is one spot left: The Northern Gate. It's later that night, and it's a full ten-hour shift, starting at 2000 hours and ending the next morning at 0600. "I hope you don't have plans for the night," Sasuke says over his shoulder and signs them all up. There's a slot for ANBU numbers on the form, and it takes a moment before Sasuke realizes its purpose.

He fishes out his dog tags and stares at them. In his rush, he's not had the time to look at them closely, but now he finds something warm swelling inside of him at sight of the two tags, dangling off the metallic chain. They both read the same thing: _Uchiha Sasuke, DOB 23. 7. 1992, Konoha ANBU, 24 907 552_. Sasuke pushes the dog tags back behind his breastplate and signs his number down, handing the pen over to Shikamaru.

"What do we do in the meantime?" Kiba asks, the last one to sign. Kurenai shrugs.

"You're not authorized to take missions yet," she cautions. "But you never know..." Kurenai points to her right, where there's already a short line of ANBU in front of a desk.

"Sounds like a plan," Kiba says and Akamaru barks in agreement, wagging his tail enthusiastically.

"Sure," Shikamaru drawls. "They'll just hand us a mission."

"We should run it by Jiro," Neji snaps. "We're not authorized to—"

"What, Hyuga?" Kiba asks, taunting. "Scared?"

Neji's blue eyes turn a shade darker.

"If you're not interested, you don't have to follow," Sasuke interrupts before anything starts up. "You have no obligation to follow me." Sasuke walks towards the line. The other three follow behind him, and Neji lingers for a moment before catching up to them.

"This is a bad idea," the Shodaime interjects hurriedly. Sarutobi echoes the sentiment, but the other two Hokages disagree. "So, he's showing some initiative," the Yondaime puts in mildly.

"Nothing wrong with that, technically." The Nidaime is silent for a moment before saying, "Just be confident. Don't let them know you're probationary. They can smell it—"

"Stop _encouraging_ him, Tobirama!" the Shodaime snaps, but it's too late. The group in front of them moves away and Sasuke saunters up to the desk, doing his best to look as casual as possible. The ANBU in charge of the missions is looking down at his papers, so Sasuke clears his throat to get noticed. The man's eyes go wide when he sees Sasuke. "Boss...?"

"Uchiha," Sasuke corrects and holds out his hand. "Mission."

The man stutters for a moment or two before saying, "Uh...aren't you new?"

"The name is Uchiha," Sasuke repeats. He lets his Sharingan come to life and takes off his mask for added effect. "Uchiha Sasuke, check the list."

"Smooth," the Nidaime says, sounding proud.

"Try Hyuga Neji," Neji says casually. "That should be on it."

Shameless, Sasuke thinks, but smirks anyways. The man does at least know how to bend the rules, how to use his name to his advantage. He isn't as big a prick as Sasuke previously thought. The man starts to fumble with the papers when Kiba points out, "Hey, man, I appreciate the effort, but if we're late and the Captain nails our asses for it, I'll be sure to bring your name up."

"What was it again?" Neji asks lightly. "You haven't told us your name yet."

"Uh...right," the ANBU says quickly and snaps his folder shut. "Who's the C.O.?"

There's a split moment's pause before Shikamaru volunteers, "Uchiha." Neji stiffens visibly at that, but doesn't protest, because the man behind the desk hands over a scroll to Sasuke.

"Courier mission," he says, and hands another scroll over. "Your specs."

Sasuke pockets the scrolls and walks away, the other four in tow. "I really don't think this is a good idea," Sarutobi says, once they've left the mission room.

Sasuke looks at the four men around him. "Any objections to going through with this?" Shino shakes his head. Neji only pauses a moment before conceding.

"If this proceeds towards to hell—" Shino speculates as they equip themselves for their mission.

"If it goes to hell," Kiba corrects with a sigh. "And it's not going to hell."

"Sure it isn't," Shikamaru grumbles, but follows when Sasuke leads the way out of the ANBU HQ.

When they reach the village walls, the Hokages stop and wish Sasuke the best of luck, saying that they won't be able to follow him beyond the forest immediately surrounding the village; their souls are tied to their bones.

"All right," Kiba says loudly. They jump off the eastern wall and blend into the forest below.

"Let's go, gentlemen," Sasuke radios in and Kiba replies, his voice crackling a little over the radio, "Aye, aye."

* * *

The mission is a success (and boring, except for the part where they get attacked by wayward missing-nin; naturally, it ends a little messily. Bringing back five of the six missing-nin proves worthwhile, though, because apparently, their mission pay gets increased for the effort).

It goes to hell when Hiashi finds out, which is how Sasuke ends up in the Captain's office, Kakashi as sincere witness, getting yelled at. The entire team had nearly gotten punished, but Sasuke stepped up and took responsibility—he'd been their C.O. "_Your student is out of line_," Hiashi thunders. "I knew it was a bad idea, bringing him on, he's hardly mature enough—"

"The mission was a success," Kakashi interrupts, flipping through the report that Sasuke wrote earlier in the day. It's a good report, Sasuke knows, because Shikamaru was at hand to help with its construction. He holds up the folder. "Five captured missing-nin, a sixth injured..."

"Whether or not it was a success is _not_ the issue." Hyuga makes a fist and slams it onto his table. A pen clutters to the ground. "The question is about Uchiha's ability to follow orders."

"Technically, he did follow orders," Kakashi points out pleasantly. "He's already proving useful to the squad. Serving Konohagakure, securing her interests at large..."

"Goddamnit, Kakashi," Hyuga snarls. "You have a blind size the size of Konoha when it comes to this boy. As your friend, I'm telling you. Just because he's your student doesn't change the fact that we can't trust this boy—"

Kakashi's face becomes still, and his one visible eye turns steel grey. "Now you're out of line, Captain."

Hyuga stills for a moment before switching gears on his argument. "He's on probation. He's not authorized to operate a team, let alone run missions."

"There's a way around that," Kakashi says, smiling. Hyuga stares at Kakashi for a split second before turning to Sasuke. "Dismissed. Wait outside with the others."

Sasuke leaves the room and joins the others out in the hallway. Kiba is scratching Akamaru behind the ears, looking serious. Neji looks supremely unimpressed with the entire situation.

Shino turns to look at Sasuke, eyes hidden by his sunglasses. Sasuke is starting to get annoyed at not being able to read the man, so he's a little surprised when Shino says, "Thank you for handling the heat."

"_Taking_ the heat, Aburame, you freak," Kiba corrects. He looks up at Sasuke, lips pursed into a thin line. "Would've gotten fired if you hadn't done it," Shikamaru grumbles. "Not bad, Uchiha."

Sasuke meets Neji's gaze, but the younger Hyuga doesn't say anything. Just looks away.

Sasuke pushes down the urge to pace. So instead he leans against the wall, trying to look detached. The Captain wants to discharge him. The only thing in Sasuke's favor is Kakashi's approval and Jiro's good report. Hiashi never wanted Sasuke on the squad to begin with, so this is a perfect opportunity for him to fire Sasuke. The thought grates on his nerves. _Not even a day_, he thinks. I might not even last the day. And, there is still the matter of his loyalty. _Always, always my loyalty._

"Are you going to get demoted?" Kiba asks, standing now. Sasuke shrugs and stares at Hiashi's office. There is no wall, just a glass door with shutters, and although the shutters are drawn, they're not angled shut. He can still see inside, and just beyond the HYUGA HIASHI, ANBU CAPTAIN written in white letters on the glass door, Sasuke can see Kakashi. A few moments later, Jiro comes walking up to the office, glancing at Sasuke for a second before he enters the room, shutting the door behind him.

Sasuke watches as he stands at attention and answers Hiashi's questions. It's another ten minutes before Jiro steps outside and motions for Sasuke and the others to come in. As Sasuke walks past Jiro, the man slaps Sasuke on the shoulder, grinning through his face-cloth.

Hiashi leans back in his chair, staring down the newly minted team. "I hear from Jiro that he never actually told you not to take missions. Is this true?"

"Yes, sir," Sasuke answers for them all. He stands at attention, staring straight ahead.

"Your mission was successful, far more than anticipated..." He shuffles around his desk for a moment. "I have chosen to remove your team from probation. Effective today, you will assume the responsibilities of full ANBU rank." He pauses, glancing sharply at Kakashi before saying. "According to the report, Uchiha, you were the team leader."

"Sir," Sasuke says and feels something like hope stirring in his stomach. Maybe he won't get demoted.

"Fine, then," Hyuga snaps. "You're promoted to commanding officer. Dismissed." It takes a moment for the information to sink in, but it eventually does, and Sasuke has to bite the inside of his cheek to stop a grin. So Sasuke mutters a "Sir" before leaving the office, the others following behind him.

Once outside, Jiro thumps him on the shoulder. "Congratulations," he says, and it sounds sincere. "If you need help with any paperwork...I'm on the second floor."

"Appreciate it," Sasuke says and watches the man leave. When he turns to face the others, Kiba is grinning. "Off probation in a day," Kiba breathes. Akamaru nips at Kiba's fingers, barking happily. "_Sweet_."

Sasuke glances at his watch. Another hour before patrol starts. "Let's eat," he says and starts to walk away. Shikamaru and Neji fall in step with him. Shino, Kiba and Akamaru follow. It's a little odd, having all four of them actually following him without an intent to capture and kill for once. He glances at the others and asks under his breath, "You know any good places?"

"Sushi," Kiba answers enthusiastically.

Shino growls loud enough for everyone to hear. "No more sushi, please. I may have to kill myself if I eat sushi—"

"Shut it, Aburame," Kiba snaps. "_Sushi_!"

"You should have intercourse with yourself, Inuzuka," Shino says pleasantly.

"Hey, dickwad—"

"Right," Sasuke mumbles under his breath. Shikamaru looks expectantly at Sasuke, as does Neji. "We'll get ramen."

_End of Part Three_


	4. Four: Sarge

**In Good Company  
**_Four: Sarge_

This is how Naruto finds out:

Kiba tells Hinata, who tells Ino because she's proud of her cousin, her boyfriend and her teammate, and she can't keep it inside anymore.

Ino first hits Shikamaru for hiding something like this from her (Shikamaru says, "What is wrong with you woman?") and then tells Sakura, but does not get the desired effect. Sakura merely hm-s distractedly. She has just started her pediatrics rotation at the hospital and there's a crying toddler in her arms, who refuses to shut up about the vaccine Sakura needs to give him. When the toddler throws up on Sakura's scrubs, she forgets about Sasuke becoming ANBU entirely.

Feeling neglected, Ino goes to the Hokage Tower. Naruto glances up sharply at the news, going completely still. Which is when Ino realizes her mistake: She should have let Sasuke deliver the news himself, but instead, she's gone ahead with her big mouth and now Naruto looks like he needs a hug.

So she hugs him, and Naruto says into her shoulder, "Sometimes I wonder if he even cares."

"You dolt," Ino mutters and holds Naruto close, because Naruto deserves better. If he just opens his eyes maybe he will realize that he can aim higher, find someone better to pine after instead of an Uchiha with a death wish. Ino is not an idiot, so she knows that one day Sasuke will leave Naruto again, which means Sakura, Hinata, Neji, Lee, Kiba, Shikamaru and herself will have to clean up the mess he leaves behind.

Naruto pulls away from Ino, looking feral. "I'm going to _kill_ him."

This is the Naruto that Ino knows and has fallen slightly in love with, so she can't help but grin at him. She says, "Withholding sex will also do the trick," to which Naruto flushes a bright pink, so Ino leans forward and kisses him on the lips, chaste, before turning with a flourish. She has a dead body waiting to be given justice in the Konohagakure Police Department. Ibiki gave her charge of this case, called her _Agent_ Yamanaka, so she has to deliver.

The Yondaime turns to the Nidaime and says, "Kill me now," because he's starting to realize that this Sasuke-Naruto thing? It may not be entirely one-sided. The Nidaime says, dutifully, "You're already dead, Namikaze."

As Ino walks away, Naruto repeats under his breath, "I'm going to kill him."

The Yondaime groans, "Please, do."

* * *

This is how Sakura finds out:

Naruto tells her, and this time, she pays attention.

Sakura then visits Kakashi for confirmation, going directly to the man's apartment for a lunch break. The jounin ah-s and hm-s at her ramble as she fusses around Kakashi's kitchen ("Don't you have _anything_ to eat in here, Kakashi-sensei, this is _awful_.") Sakura cooks Kakashi lunch and they picnic out on his balcony, Sakura explaining how it breaks her heart every day to walk into the pediatrics department and see the oncology patients. She can't save them, will never be able to save them, but she doesn't want to leave them alone.

Kakashi listens, wonders just when Sakura grew up so quickly, and hopes she doesn't get jaded and cynical like Tsunade has become after nearly fifty years of roaming hospital wards. He notices the shadows under her eyes, the calluses on her fingers, how her hair doesn't look as well-kept as it used to, how her lips look chapped.

An hour into her visit, Sakura glances at her watch and gushes about needing to see this patient of hers, how she promised to get her flowers. Then she rolls her eyes, mumbles under her breath about being so forgetful, and fishes around her backpack before drawing out a bag of fresh fruits. They are Kakashi's favorites: Oranges and Asian pears.

"I picked these up for you, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura says with a bright, bright smile and hugs him. Kakashi hugs her back, chuckling under his breath, and hoping—praying—that the world won't ask too much from Sakura, because she's not in the habit of refusing her compassion to anyone. After all, the girl found it in her heart to love Kakashi (he remembers her waiting by his bedside after a particularly bad mission, heaving sobs and yelling at him between breaths, _Kakashi-sensei, please be careful, what will I do if something happens to you? Kakashi-sensei_...)

And if that _isn't_ difficult, Kakashi isn't sure what is.

Hovering above the balcony, Sarutobi says to the Shodaime, "Sometimes I think..."

"The village will be just fine," the Shodaime finishes. "It'll be fine."

Sakura pulls back cheerfully from Kakashi and says, looking up, "I might have to kill Sasuke, if you don't mind, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi smiles. "Ah, of course not, Sakura. Thank you for the fruits."

* * *

This is how Sasuke finds out that Naruto and Sakura have found out:

The Hokages tell him, interrupting each other in their hurry to deliver the news. "Take cover," Sarutobi says cheerfully.

Sasuke ignores the Sandaime, because he's an Uchiha, and Uchiha's don't take cover. Instead, he focuses on the map in front of him. Hiashi points to a region in the Land of Rice Fields. "We have reports of some movement along this route, concentrated near this village over here," he says. "I want to know who it is, what they're doing, and why they're doing it. You'll be working with Jiro's men. Jiro is in command of both teams, but you pick the route since it seems you have more...personal experience in this part of the Continent."

Sasuke nods and listens a little absentmindedly to Hiashi give a few more directions. Hiashi dismisses him, but not before asking who the team's second will be. Sasuke pauses, not sure if it would be wise to exclude the Captain's nephew so blatantly. Shikamaru might be the better strategist, but he loathes any more responsibility than he already has. Neji is the obvious choice, by all accounts, but Sasuke would rather die than admit Neji as second. If he does, they would be working together more than the others. Sasuke says, "I haven't made up my mind yet."

Hiashi gives him a blank look. "Then make up your mind, ANBU."

Sasuke leaves the room, feeling his neck get warm with anger at the man. "You haven't made up your mind yet?" the Nidaime barks at him. "That's the stupidest answer I've ever heard from a subordinate—"

"He's still a child," the Yondaime scoffs, and when Sasuke glances at him, he looks unimpressed, condescending, and it makes Sasuke grit his teeth hard enough that he feels a muscle jump on his jaw.

"Enough," the Shodaime interrupts them, and the other Hokages fall silent. "You are a commanding officer now, Uchiha, and you have four men who will follow your every order." The Shodaime suddenly appears in front of Sasuke, and automatically, Sasuke comes to a halt in order to avoid crashing into him. "Those men," the Shodaime continues, and comes just a little closer towards Sasuke. The Shodaime is a little taller, and having to look up at him—even the slightest bit—has the intended effect. He repeats, "They will follow your orders, boy. Each and every single one of them, without question."

And he leaves it at that, stepping aside to let Sasuke pass. There's a second's pause as Sasuke's hand lingers over the doorknob. And then, he's inside, interrupting a loud conversation Kiba is having with Shino. "Aburame, you _douche_—"

"Mission." Sasuke walks to the front of the room. There is a white board with a map of the Continent hanging over it. Sasuke pulls down the map to its full length and points to a square which includes a section of the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Fire. "Unauthorized movement in sector JF-6. We survey their activity with Jiro's team, but we do not engage." He looks around the room. "No one gets hurt."

Sasuke takes off his mask and ties it to his belt, the movement familiar and comforting now. The weight of the mask against his hip is barely noticeable, but it's always a heavy presence in Sasuke's mind. Kakashi wore this, he'll think sometimes, and the enormity of a legacy like that weighs heavily on him. It's like having Itachi for a brother, almost. "Someone we know?" Shikamaru asks, stretching. The shadows on the walls flicker a little. The 'we' in his question is mostly 'me and my contacts,' because it's no secret now that Shikamaru is the counterintelligence liaison for the team.

It could be Akatsuki, but Sasuke's not willing to share that information, not when it's based entirely on a hunch. Hiashi is not going to be sending out a still new team to scout out Akatsuki, no matter how good the team is.

Yuuta is surveying a town with high-chakra nin only thirty miles northwest. Far enough that they should be able to pass safely, but still, Sasuke feels a little hesitant, finds himself calculating the amount of time it would take for the village to dispatch reinforcements if the need arises. "We approach from south, move along the border and then enter JF-6," Sasuke says. It took him little time to decide on the approach, had figured out their strategy while Hiashi was showing him the mission specs.

"Good move," the Nidaime says, thoughtfully. "You'll stay out of Akatsuki's way."

"He should face them," the Yondaime says, and he sounds angry. "Why is he running from—"

"Enough," the Shodaime mutters. "Let the boy finish."

Shino is the one to object. "We would be wasting time. We can cut across instead of following the length of the border."

"How much time?" Kiba asks and leans forward in his chair a little, eyes narrowing in concentration. He's silent for a moment, calculating, and then mutters, "Eight hours, man."

It is too dangerous, because Sasuke knows that his team, even with Neji, Kiba, Shino and Shikamaru, would be no match against Akatsuki in enemy land with an army of recruits. They would be too far from the village to get reinforcements. It's not worth the risk, not when there are four lives at stake. Sasuke says, voice unflinching now in its finality, "Then we add those eight hours." Kiba opens his mouth to say something, but thinks better of it when Sasuke levels his gaze at him. Sasuke moves towards the door. "We leave at 0900 hours. Take the evening off, get some rest."

He's at the door when Shikamaru drawls out, sounding entirely uninterested, "Who's your second?"

Sasuke remembers the Shodaime, looking down at him slightly, saying, _These men will follow your orders, each and every single one of them._ So he answers, turning to look at the group, still in their seats, "Hyuga."

It's worth the widening of Neji's eyes, an unguarded moment of surprise on the man's face.

* * *

Daichi does not look happy, but it's not much of a standard; the snake never looks very happy. He's one of the younger ones; a coral snake with dark orange and light brown patterns that conceals exactly how dangerous he is. His poison, when he bites, stings Sasuke for hours afterwards, so Sasuke tends to be careful around him. He appeared a few hours ago, and has been lounging around the apartment since, as Sasuke does laundry.

Eventually, Kanaye appeared as well (_he's getting better_, Sasuke thinks. Kanaye will be able to summon himself without the help of the other snakes soon), along with Daichi's twin, Hideyoshi.

Sasuke asks—because he knows Daichi wants him to ask, is waiting for Sasuke to ask so he can complain—"Why are you here Daichi?"

"I was bored," he explains and slithers through a pile of freshly laundered socks.

"Liar, liar, scales on fire—" Hideyoshi begins to sing.

"Shut up, Hideyoshi," Daichi snaps and lunges at the other snake. They coil on the floor angrily, fighting each other. Their hissing is only mildly distracting, sounding unnatural and vicious. Sasuke hears "Daichi, you bastard, go die!" and "Hideyoshi! I should've eaten you years ago when Rin wasn't looking!"

They're a tangle now, Kanaye watching with his head tilted at an angle. "I think Daichi's going to win."

"Hideyoshi," Sasuke counters, because it's a gamble now and they can't bet on the same snake (Daichi will win. He's the more vicious of the two).

"You should intervene," the Shodaime counsels finally. "You cannot have your animals—"

"They'll be fine," Sasuke interrupts and shoves his clothes into the closet.

Daichi screams, "I hate you!" Hideyoshi yells back, "I wish I had a better twin!" Kanaye patiently explains that the quarrel is over a stolen rat, which, apparently, Ishi had eaten. He's not going to tell Daichi or Hideyoshi the truth, though, because it's been a while since something interesting has happened within the family and Kanaye was starting to get bored. And because Rin is in one of her month-long naps again, the war between Daichi and Hideyoshi will rage on for days.

Sasuke settles down in his couch for some TV. On screen, there's a comedian mocking Tsunade's latest attempt at peace with the Land of Water. He pulls a well-worn joke about _Water and Fire? They should stay the fuck away from each other._

The man lets the audience's laughter fade before saying, "But, I gotta say, gentlemen, we're probably the luckiest demographic on the Continent, with a Hokage like Tsunade-sama. She can rule _my_ nin any time of the day..."

Sasuke chuckles despite himself, but when the Shodaime clears his throat pointedly, he switches to the evening news and turns to the papers spread out on his coffee table. Human Resources sent them up to his desk earlier in the morning, saying that if he doesn't return completed forms, they will not be paying him. Sasuke knows the forms are not complete; he was hoping they wouldn't notice. It had been embarrassing enough when a H.R. employee had sought him out, only to tell him, dryly, that all fields were required.

Name, Age, Gender, Date of Birth, Home Address Line 1, Home Address Line 2, Phone Number, ANBU Number, Ninja Social Security Number, and every other field was filled. The only one left blank was the one that Sasuke always leaves blank. _The Next of Kin or Closest Association_, the H.R. employee had explained patiently, is the name and information of the person Sasuke would like his dog tags and hitai-ate returned to if he dies in action. Those are the only two things retrieved from a fallen ANBU—the body is left behind. S.O.P., the man had said, _standard operating protocol._

Sasuke has never thought this far, not because he hasn't gotten close enough to death—he has—but because it's a little pointless. When he dies, Uchiha Sasuke will stop being a person and become a footnote (textbooks will speak of a dojutsu, long extinct, called the _Sharingan_. Children will read:_ The last known user was the traitor known as Uchiha Sasuke_). There is no need to drag it on any further, and Sasuke isn't the sentimental type. He doesn't mind that he will probably not leave any family behind, because at the rate things are going, he'll probably go with Itachi. He doesn't mind much of anything, because as long as Itachi stops breathing, Sasuke can stop as well, and that's enough for him. The truth is that Sasuke wants his dog tags to stay with him, would rather have them stay on his rotting body, melt into his bones, because at the end of the day, that's all he has: His name.

So Sasuke told the H.R. employee if he didn't take the papers and shut up about it, he'd do something cruel. The employee looked positively terrified and took the forms, saying that he couldn't promise Sasuke anything. Now, though, he has to confront this blank space. It's not much of a decision to make, really.

Which is how Sasuke ends up at Kakashi's apartment, late in the evening. Kakashi's home is large, extremely fancy, and has (in Sasuke's opinion) the best surround sound system in the entire village. The jounin lives the life of a rich, powerful bachelor, who happens to be the Commander of the Joint Forces, and it shows: Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, 3000 sq. ft. apartment. It's in the richest area of town, in the kind of building with doormen. Kakashi has also outfitted an armory in one of his rooms: A collection of weapons from all of his fallen opponents. When Sasuke first stumbled upon this room, he nearly drooled at the sight of all the shiny, sharp metal.

Kakashi opens the door, eyebrow arched slightly. He's wearing only dark sweats with KONOHA written down the length of one leg in white lettering, but his face-cloth is firmly in place, as is his hitai-ate. It's generally not acceptable for Sasuke to barge in like this without a really good reason; unlike Sakura and Naruto, there are boundaries in Sasuke's relationship with Kakashi. But Sasuke is risking not getting paid, which in his opinion, is a very good reason (he faces eviction if he can't pay his rent on time). "I need to talk to you," Sasuke says and tries not to blush at the surprise on Kakashi's face. The jounin steps aside to let Sasuke in.

Kakashi leads them past the living room (where there's a large, flat-screen TV, paused on a pre-recorded game). There is a dog lounging on an ottoman, and as Sasuke and Kakashi walk past the living room, it raises his head to watch. In the kitchen, there are vegetables and meat laid out on a chopping board, and a pan is sizzling on the stove. Sasuke hasn't eaten yet and he's hungry, but he can't just barge in on Kakashi's apartment and expect to be invited for dinner. So he shoves his hands into his pocket and waits for permission to speak.

"What's going on?" the Yondaime grumbles from somewhere in the room. "They going to train or what?"

The Nidaime scoffs, annoyed already. "I don't know. You guys want to watch this?" The Shodaime and Sarutobi say yes, and the Hokages fall silent. Kakashi goes about the kitchen for a while longer, adding spices to his food. It would be domestic were it not for the weapons laid out on the dining table, gleaming fresh and dangerous.

It takes a few more minutes for Kakashi to prompt, "Talk," which is when Sasuke realizes that he has no idea how to bring up the topic on his mind. "You're pretty bad at this communication thing, aren't you?" the Nidaime grumbles while Sasuke struggles with what to say.

The Shodaime offers, "All Uchihas are a little impaired in this area. Sasuke is exceptionally horrible, yes, but—"

"Give him a break," Sarutobi says, chuckling. "He's getting better."

Sasuke decides against speaking, and instead pulls out the folded paper from his pocket. He places it pointedly on the kitchen counter and stays silent. The older man doesn't look at it until a few minutes later, only after wiping his hands on a dishcloth. "What about it?" he asks and pushes the form back towards Sasuke.

Feeling a little ridiculous, Sasuke holds it up for kakashi to see and points at the missing field: Next of Kin or Closest Association, the header says, and it's bolded. There are a few empty lines underneath. "Can I put your name for this section? It's a required field, and they won't pay me without this form."

"What is it?" the Nidaime asks and when Sasuke lets his Sharingan come to life, the Hokage is looking over Kakashi's shoulder. "Next of kin or closest association," the Nidaime reads out finally. He pulls away from Kakashi, staring at Sasuke with a strange expression on his face. The Nidaime glances at the other Hokages quickly. They all seem frozen as well, the Yondaime's mouth slightly open as if he were about to say something.

It's another moment before Kakashi offers, "You thought you had to ask?"

_Well, yes, Hatake,_ Sasuke thinks, but knows that voicing that would earn him a slap to the head. Instead, he says, "I figured it would be annoying if you had to deal with the paperwork once I died."

"Once you died," Kakashi repeats, and goes completely still. He puts down the knife he has been using. "Not _if_, but once you die?"

Sasuke shrugs and folds the paper, putting it away. "You'll get my hitai-ate and dog tags. You can trash those. You'll also get a few forms to sign. I've already taken care of all the other paperwork, my will and things. I don't need a funeral, so that would be the extent of your troubles—"

"You thought it would be annoying for me, once you passed away," Kakashi interrupts and still makes no move to continue cooking. The dog lumbers into the kitchen, silently watching the exchange with intelligent eyes.

Sasuke shrugs. "I didn't want to be a burden," he mumbles, and realizes what Kakashi's questioning is all about: It's his way of saying _no_, and the disappointment of that stings more than it should. He clears his throat, looking away from the jounin before saying, "I understand. I didn't mean to interrupt—"

"I didn't say no, Sasuke," Kakashi says, and he sounds resigned, so different from what he's usually like. "Why would you think I would say—" He stops, abrupt. "You know my information?"

When Sasuke nods, Kakashi stares at Sasuke for a moment longer. _Time's up_, Sasuke thinks and mutters, "I'll go then." Kakashi walks with him to the door, the dog trailing behind with the pitter-patter of claws against hardwood floor. Sasuke steps outside, and suddenly remembers a lesson his mother taught him a long, long time ago. "Appreciate it," he says and nods once at the man.

Kakashi looks as if he's about to say something, but instead, he reaches up to lightly pat Sasuke on the side of his face.

The jounin has done this—strange, cheek-patting thing—once before, when Sasuke returned from the Village of Sound. He'd visited Sasuke in his cell, where Sasuke had been beaten and tortured by Ibiki's men, and then locked up in the deepest dungeons of Konohagakure. If Sasuke had wanted to, he could have escaped. Instead, he'd turned himself in, silent except for the occasional grunt when a blow landed too heavily. Kakashi had walked in, seen Sasuke slumped onto the floor and barked at him to stand up. And Sasuke stood, bracing himself for the beating he knew he deserved.

Kakashi hadn't lifted a finger against Sasuke, just muttered under his breath, sounding a little surprised, "You've grown," and patted him on the cheek before telling Sasuke to get some sleep, his trial was tomorrow, and not to be an idiot about it.

Now, when Kakashi does it again, randomly, Sasuke feels his entire face heating up. So he shoves his hands into his pocket and doesn't meet the jounin's eyes when Kakashi says, "You need help paying your rent this month?"

Sasuke does need help, because he hasn't gotten a paycheck since he joined ANBU. But he says, "No."

"I'll send a check over," Kakashi says, and pauses for a moment. "You've eaten yet?"

Sasuke lies, "Yes," but Kakashi is Kakashi, so he doesn't fall for any of Sasuke's bull shit, no matter how good Sasuke is at doling it out in large quantities.

"Get in," Kakashi snaps, and Sasuke does because it sounded like an order. He's taking off his shoes again when he gets a slap on the head, unexpectedly. "What was _that_ for?"

Kakashi just levels a glare at him. "Your idiocy, Uchiha. Your persistent, never-ending idiocy."

* * *

Their mission—even after everything that happens—is considered a success. The two teams find nothing, even after sitting perfectly still in trees for several hours on end. In the end, Jiro orders them to fall back, there's nothing here to see. They're nearing the border of the Land of Fire when Kiba falls behind and it all goes to hell.

It took them a day to reach their destination and once there, it's as barren and empty as suspected. It's a bit of a surprise for Sasuke, because he had been expecting something, was anticipating something. They're heading back through a darkened farm on the border, about twenty miles from the Land of Fire when they get hit. Shino radios in, sounding rushed, "We have company. Inuzuka went down."

"Retreat," Jiro snaps into the radio. "Keep moving, ANBU. We're not drawing attention, not tonight. Captain's orders."

_"He's __injured_," Shino repeats. "I need backup—"

"He falls behind, he stays behind, Aburame," Jiro interrupts. Sasuke winces at the volume of this conversation. The corn stalks are thick, and with no light, it's practically impossible to see anything. But he can sense Kiba and Akamaru several hundred feet away, can see their chakra—faint but persistent—with his Sharingan.

"But—"

"Aburame, fall back," Sasuke radios in. "I've got a visual on Inuzuka."

"Uchiha, I _said_ fall back," Jiro hisses. He is Sasuke's senior, so technically, he outranks Sasuke. But Sasuke has never really cared for hierarchy. And he's always been bad at following orders, been much better at giving them.

"Fall back, everyone. That's an order," Sasuke mumbles and starts heading towards Kiba.

"I outrank you—"

"He's my man," Sasuke snaps and waits patiently, crouching close to the ground. The others are already fading away. He, Kiba and Akamaru are the only ones left behind. "He's my responsibility."

"I'll give you cover," Neji's voice comes in, urgent.

"Retreat, Hyuga," Sasuke snaps. "You're second, take over. That's an order, all of you."

"If this mission is a failure," Jiro warns, but doesn't finish his sentence.

"My responsibility," Sasuke repeats and turns off his communicator. There's silence in the air now, except for the corn stalks crackling in the breeze. There's at least four enemy nin, so Sasuke stalks around them, crawling still. It's easy with so much noise to cover his movements for Sasuke to pick out two of the four. He does not kill them, just knocks them out. Which is when the other two start to panic. One breaks ground and runs when he spots Sasuke, looking dangerous with his sword drawn.

The other one is with Kiba, and when Sasuke finally reaches them, he sees that Akamaru is the only thing standing between Kiba and the attacker. The dog is growling threateningly, standing over Kiba's form and baring his fangs. Every time the man moves, the dog jerks his head up, as if to bite. It takes very little time for Sasuke to slide his sword into the nin's side (still not to kill, never to kill) and twists hard. The man whips around, and before Sasuke can pull his sword back and retreat, the man shoves a senbon needle into Sasuke's thigh.

Akamaru flies into action, biting the man's throat until bone crunches and the man gasps to his death. Sasuke pulls out the senbon, frowning when a shiver runs down his leg. It's just a senbon, Sasuke thinks, sniffing the tip—no poison, not as far as he can tell.

Akamaru turns to Sasuke, nuzzling the site where the senbon broke Sasuke's skin. He starts to lick at it, whining in the back of his throat. Sasuke quickly pushes the dog away before he accidentally licks at his blood, remembering what the medic-nin had said about the snake venom coursing through his veins. "It's just a scratch, you mutt," Sasuke grumbles, moving away to inspect Kiba, who is on the ground, gurgling for breath, but still conscious.

Sasuke cuts open Kiba's shirt with a kunai and wipes the blood clean with the rags, trying to see the extent of the damage in the dim moonlight. He has basic training, so he knows that this is a puncture wound, that Kiba's lungs are slowly filling with his blood, that it's easily treatable with the right training and equipment. _Sakura_, Sasuke thinks, and starts to bandage up the wound as he's seen her do millions of times before. He takes off Kiba's ANBU mask and drags down his face-cloth to help with the breathing.

Kiba grins at him, teeth stained black and metallic with blood. "Fuck, man—"

"Shut up, Inuzuka," Sasuke interrupts and starts to put another bandage over the wound, just in case, just to be sure. He knows only the most basic of medical jutsus, but those require knowledge of the exact wound site. In the darkness, there is a higher chance of Sasuke hurting Kiba than there is of helping him.

"You shouldn't have come back. Jiro was right," Kiba begins, but cuts off as he starts to cough, a wet sound that has Akamaru licking at his face worriedly. "Hey, buddy, I'm all right—"

"When I said shut up," Sasuke says and eases Kiba into a sitting position. "That was an order."

Akamaru barks at Kiba, tail wagging furiously. Kiba listens for a moment before turning to Sasuke and gasping out, "Your injury. It could be poisoned. Akamaru says it doesn't smell right—"

"I don't recall asking you for your opinion, ANBU," Sasuke mutters, but can't help but carefully feel his thigh out. It feels normal, nothing out of the ordinary. If Akamaru smells any poison, it is likely his own."Let's get out of here."

"Aye, aye, Sarge," Kiba says, and it's a wonder he's still so good humored in a situation like this. Sasuke takes a deep breath and hauls Kiba over his shoulder. He tries the radio, calls in for the others' location, but there is no response. Sasuke does a few seals and Ishi appears, looking dangerous in the night.

Akamaru growls low in his throat at the sight of the snake. "Keep him alive," Sasuke orders, pointing to Kiba. The snake slithers up Sasuke's leg before moving onto Kiba, twisting around his torso to cover the wound. "I can't clear his blood, but I can keep some of it out," Ishi hisses and glows a little blue as the healing begins. Akamaru approaches the snake a little hesitantly. He inspects Ishi for a few moments before withdrawing, satisfied.

Slowly, carefully, Sasuke picks his way back home with Kiba (at 5'9'', all 183 pounds of him) thrown over his back. Akamaru leads the way, turning back every so often to whimper and urge Sasuke on. They cover twenty miles or so, slowly, taking nearly three hours on foot. He can't afford to get caught in a fight again, so Sasuke breaks from his route to double back, gets rid of his trail, setting Kiba down now and then to check the bandages and see if the man is still alive.

On their fourth stop, a few miles from the Land of Fire's borders, Kiba leans over to the side and coughs up blood, hacking loud enough that any enemy or border patrol ninja ten miles away can probably hear. Sasuke begins, "Inuzuka, let's go—" but the man falls face first into the blood-speckled dirt, breath harsh and shallow.

"There's too much blood for me to fix, and he's too heavy for you," Ishi hisses then, sounding annoyed. "He will die either way. Leave him and retreat."

"This isn't your decision to make, Ishi," Sasuke says, and the snake considers him for a moment, eyes unblinking.

Ishi bites Sasuke lightly on the hand, but there is no poison behind the attack. "You will wear yourself out," he warns. Sasuke grunts his understanding and watches as Ishi goes back to coil around Kiba's chest.

Akamaru howls, nudging at Kiba's face and looking up at Sasuke pleadingly. An animal that can't speak shouldn't be this intelligent, Sasuke thinks, but says, feeling a little ridiculous for talking to a dog, "I'll move ahead. You take care of my tracks out behind. Do you understand me, or am I just having a conversation with a dog like a crazy person?" Akamaru tilts his head a fraction before jerking his head—_a nod_, Sasuke realizes—and disappears into the forest. Sasuke lifts Kiba over his shoulder again, wincing at the strain now. He's been travelling for nearly two days with little to no food and absolutely no rest. He was tired even before they got attacked, but with Kiba in tow, he feels his body running out of energy, his chakra pulsing freely in an effort to keep up.

It's not subtle in the least, Sasuke knows. Any half-decent ninja in the surrounding twenty miles would be able to sense his presence. Sasuke keeps up his pace, feeling his back and legs start to cramp with the weight, listening to Kiba's rasping breaths throughout the night. He's in the Land of Fire by dawn and still, no radio contact. Which is his own doing, Sasuke thinks. He insisted on going this route, on avoiding any confrontation. The thought angers him, makes him grit his teeth. "Fuck," Sasuke grunts and falls to his knee, panting a little.

_Are you injured?_ Ishi communicates forcefully.

_How is he?_

_Nearly dead. Are **you** injured, boy?_

_Just a scratch on my thigh. I need a few more hours, Ishi. Keep him alive,_ Sasuke thinks back and hears the snake's angry hiss from over his shoulder. The cobra does not say anything else, though, falls silent in his healing.

Akamaru returns a few minutes later to lick at Sasuke's mask, nudging him with his nose. "Right, you filthy mutt," Sasuke breathes and gets to his feet again. His chakra is running out, Sasuke knows. He's pushing himself, each step driven by chakra.

Kiba's gurgling becomes louder as the night wears on and the sun rises. In the light of day, Kiba's face is pale and drawn, teeth bloody and lips a little blue-tinged. _Not enough oxygen_, Sasuke realizes, and feels his entire body strain under this weight, traveling for such a great distance at such a speed. _He's not getting enough air._ Akamaru is nipping at his heels now, growling anxiously, always a few feet behind of Sasuke and Kiba. As they near Konoha, Akamaru starts to get more restless, even bites Sasuke lightly on the calf when he slows down.

_Leave him here, your chakra does not feel right_, Ishi tries again. _Something is wrong, you hear me? Something is wrong with your chakra—_

"I hear you," Sasuke hisses, and his voice is out of breath. He continues to move though, ignoring Ishi's warning _ssssss_.

When Sasuke reaches the village, it's late evening of the next day. The walls are a welcome sight, and Sasuke gasps into the radio, drawing heaving breaths in between every few words, "ANBU to base. I need a medic at the Western Gate. Man down."

Someone radios back, "We're ready for you, ANBU," and then the airwaves fall silent. It takes what little energy Sasuke has left to limp to the gates. The doors open, and when Sasuke steps through, Akamaru barking loud enough to alert every guard on duty, there are jounin waiting for him.

"He can't breathe," Sasuke says and hands Kiba to a jounin with a dog standing close next to him. Ishi falls off of Kiba's body and immediately slithers up Sasuke's frame, hissing angrily. Akamaru whimpers, pawing at the ground, nudging the jounin into action.

"_Rest_," Ishi says and coils around Sasuke's neck, a warning. "_Enough_. Find a human healer—"

"Puncture wound," Sasuke breathes out. "Lower left lung. He can't breathe."

The jounin takes Kiba, and Sasuke hears a man say gruffly, "Kiba, Kiba, look at me, Kiba, _my boy_—" And even as Sasuke's legs collapse underneath him, he identifies the man as Kiba's father. "Thank you," the jounin says harshly, and then he's gone, gently easing Kiba onto a stretcher nearby.

Sasuke breathes once deeply and falls face-forward into Konoha dirt, just as he hears the Hokages' voices fade into his conscience and Ishi, rasping out in human tongue, loud and commanding, "_He's **dying**, you fools_! _It's poison!_"

"Good job, Sasuke," the Shodaime says, and as Sasuke slips into unconsciousness, he smiles.

* * *

Uchiha Fugaku was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a bad temper. It was only after marrying Mikoto that his famous short fuse became grounded, and he matured into the father that Sasuke remembers: Patient, commanding, in control.

He was the second son of Uchiha Yashiro, had two more brothers and a sister after himself. It was a large family, and Fugaku was always a responsible older brother. He helped his aunts deliver Obito, and watched as his stepmother, Yashiro's second wife, bled to death on the birthing bed.

Fugaku loved his sons, would have loved his daughter had she been born. Sasuke knows intuitively that Fugaku loved him, even if he didn't think Sasuke was a very good Uchiha. With a son like Itachi, there really was no need for Fugaku to have another child, but Fugaku was raised in a large family and he wanted his son to have the same experience.

Itachi was three years old when Fugaku first said, "Good job, son."

Sasuke was six when he heard Fugaku say this about him, and that too indirectly. Fugaku told Mikoto, while Sasuke eavesdropped, "The boy's doing all right." It was Sasuke's first year in the Academy and he'd just brought home his first A.

Mikoto had said, patient, "He's doing _great_, Fugaku. You should tell him that."

And Fugaku, who was always a good father (Sasuke will never, ever say otherwise), said, "I'll tell him when he earns it."

Sasuke never earned it. Still hasn't earned it, but Sasuke is fine with that. Eventually, if Sasuke ever sees his father again, he'll have his brother's blood on his hands. That is all Sasuke can do in this lifetime.

This is how Sasuke remembers Fugaku: Just as his life faded away, Fugaku put a bloody, wet hand on Sasuke's shoulder and said, "Sasuke, _my boy_."

* * *

He wakes up, breathing, "Father?"

"No, it's me," the Shodaime says, and he's right there, a cool touch on Sasuke's shoulder. "How are you?"

Sasuke blinks up at the ceiling. He's in a hospital, can hear the steady beep of a monitor to his right. He's taking stock of his body when he feels Ishi stir by his feet. The cobra raises his head, looking worn out. "You're a moron," Ishi hisses and makes a coughing, hacking sound.

"What happened to you?" Sasuke mutters and holds out a hand. Ishi slithers up to bite him lightly on the arm before coiling next to his head on the pillow.

"Me and Plum-Wine healed you," Ishi whispers. "I've been with you for the past week."

"Rest, Ishi," Sasuke rasps out and leans over to scratch the cobra's belly. The snake tolerates the treatment for a few moments before slithering away.

"Humans," Ishi spits, biting Sasuke on the neck. The sting of his poison is oddly familiar, comforting. "No sense of self-preservation."

Sasuke swings his feet over the bed, groaning at the strain in his muscles. "I can say the same about you," Sasuke says and hears Ishi's offended hiss.

"_Hardly_," Ishi scoffs and vanishes with a pop.

"You feel all right?" the Nidaime asks as Sasuke carefully pulls on clothes. He's fumbling with his pants when the door opens and Sakura walks in, clipboard in hand.

She looks Sasuke up and down before snapping on gloves from the counter. "It was a chakra draining poison," she announces, gesturing for Sasuke to sit back down on the bed. "Since you did not bring back the weapon, we were unable to identify the poison or its antidote. As a result, there was a slight glitch in your healing."

Sasuke sits down, because if Ishi was right and he has been out for a week, then something must have been wrong. "What the fuck did you do, Haru—"

"Shut up, Sasuke," Sakura interrupts and pushes Sasuke onto his back, looking dangerous. "Watch." She pushes some of her chakra into Sasuke's system. This is a routine procedure, medics do this all the time. Usually, it's a little ticklish, as if someone were crawling inside Sasuke's skin, makes his eyes tingle a little. This time, though, Sasuke's chakra pathways light up so bright and blue under his skin, he turns fluorescent. The Nidaime starts to laugh. "He looks _ridiculous_."

"Impressive," Sarutobi mutters. "Were you aware you had this much chakra, Sasuke?"

Sasuke stares at his hand, turning it over slowly. He's practically glowing, the outline of his legs visible through the black of his pants. "All Uchihas do. They have to sustain the Sharingan," the Shodaime offers. "But I doubt many Uchihas have this much."

"Is it dangerous?" the Yondaime asks curiously, and he is so close that Sasuke flinches away from the chill to his right. The Yondaime doesn't pay him any attention, just puts a hand experimentally through Sasuke's arm, hm-ing under his breath.

"I doubt it," the Shodaime says and comes to stand next to Sasuke, arms crossed over his chest. "His body is built for it. The chakra pathways are always more extensive in an Uchiha, so it should be able to take this load."

"—arm, the one you blew out with the Chidori that day, Sasuke, remember?"

"What?" Sasuke mutters and returns his attention to Sakura. The woman looks angry at Sasuke's absentmindedness. She grinds out, "The chakra pathways you blew out in your left hand with your Chidori."

"What about them?" Sasuke mutters.

"Sakura restored them," Sarutobi explains with a smile.

As far as Sasuke had known, his chakra pathways had been blown out so badly that they were beyond repair. But Sakura has always been a good medic, one of the best. It shouldn't be so much of a surprise that she's fixed him up. "How?"

"_How_?" Sakura yells and brandishes her clipboard threateningly. "I just explained how, you _stupid_, stupid, **_arrgh_**!"

"Of course." Sasuke lies down on the bed because this will take long, he can already sense it. "Go on."

Sakura takes a few calming breaths before saying, "Your energy was depleted, and you almost died of chakra exhaustion. I was keeping you stable with my chakra until Shizune got here, when your snake, the cobra, it pointed out a reserve—"

"Where?" Sasuke demands, because it's just a little embarrassing that he didn't know about this reserve in his body. His chakra control is a little weaker than Sakura's, but missing an entire chakra reserve large enough to turn him into a glow-in-the-dark freak of nature was beyond ridiculous.

"Your abdomen, by your lymph nodes," Sakura explains and for added measure, unbuttons Sasuke's pants and pushes it down. Sakura starts to poke around his stomach with gloved fingers, seemingly unaware of the fact that her former teammate, ex-crush, and Uchiha goddamn Sasuke is hers to ogle. "Here and here," Sakura continues and moves her hand even lower, so dangerously low that Sasuke hopes—prays—that his body doesn't betray him.

Sakura is all curves, dangerous green eyes, and wild hair, the kind of kunoichi that Sasuke might take as a wife. The light blue of her scrubs makes her look a little older, especially since her hair is falling around her face loosely. But she's Lee's woman, and even if Sasuke's body might think otherwise, according to Sasuke's mind, Sakura is too much 'friend' to be anything more. He looks away from Sakura, concentrating instead on Sarutobi's kind, smiling face. "_Shameless_!" the Yondaime yells loudly. "Utterly shameless. One minute he's lusting after my son like a _crazed_ lunatic and then this? What is this? I _knew_ you were a good-for-nothing—"

"Namikaze," the Nidaime grumbles exasperatedly under his breath. "So this definitely makes the Uchiha kid bisexual, right?"

"—worthless piece of adolescent delinquent, who would just ruin my son's life—"

The Shodaime gives Sasuke a sidelong glance. "I assumed he was straight since he gives preference for only women. Of course there's Naruto, but no other man has interested him..."

Sasuke tries to keep his face carefully neutral. Having his sexuality discussed by dead men is making him uncomfortable, mostly because Sasuke has never really thought about it. There's Naruto, who he wants. And then there's women with their sweeping curves, long hair, coy smiles. Like Sakura and Ino and Hinata, and the entire goddamn village, filled with _women_.

And Naruto. Always, forever, Naruto. "—_you don't deserve my son_!" the Yondaime screams. "_Stay away from him_!"

"Look," Sakura says suddenly and slaps Sasuke on the chest. Sasuke dutifully looks as Sakura puts a hand right over the line of his boxers and pushes chakra in. His entire stomach lights up such a brilliant shade of blue that chakra starts to wisp away from his skin, like steam.

"Shit," Sasuke mutters, because he can feel a slight tingling in his groin, strange and unfamiliar. Hesitantly, he lifts the band of his boxers to look. It's blue. "Oh, _fuck_."

Sakura peeks under the boxers as well, eyes going wide. "I missed that," she says, unfazed, and writes it down on the clipboard. "Excuse me," she says politely and snakes a hand under Sasuke's boxers, feeling around carefully.

"Sakura," Sasuke says carefully, lying completely still.

"Sasuke," Sakura answers, looking Sasuke in the eyes, face serious even as her hand experimentally squeezes here and there. "Don't make this awkward, Uchiha. I'm your attending physician."

"Right," Sasuke says carefully and stares at the ceiling. Sakura is always his attending physician, because no other medic will willingly treat Sasuke, not after what he's done. If, in the rare occasions Sasuke gets injured and Sakura is not around, he has to wait, even if his injuries become infected and swollen. They've turned him away at the E.R. before, so Sasuke usually avoids the hospital. "What are you doing?"

"Testicular exam," Sakura mutters under her breath and pushes Sasuke's pants further down. When he feels Sakura push some more of her chakra in, it feels ticklish. Sasuke blushes despite himself—Sakura is groping him with chakra, he thinks, and tries not to think about that too much.

"Well," Sakura says and straightens, taking her gloves off in a practiced motion. "That's news to me, but everything looks fine. You should still be able to have children."

"That's...good," Sasuke says slowly.

"Orgasms might be more intense, which will make Naruto very happy," Sakura mutters to herself. The Yondaime groans, sounding so utterly devastated and miserable that Sasuke can't help but smirk. Sakura writes down something on her clipboard. "I'm ordering a testicular ultrasound just to be sure. The hospital will call to schedule it with you."

Sasuke zips up, trying not to feel too self-conscious. "Your pathways are still the same, but you should be careful not to overload jutsus with more chakra than necessary," Sakura cautions. "I showed Kakashi-sensei your file, he said he'd work on it with you."

"Fine," Sasuke grunts and pulls on a shirt, wincing when the muscles in his back practically creak with the movement. His uniform is still caked with dirt, and disturbingly, Kiba's blood. He draws his katana, inspecting it for any damage. There is still blood caked on its tip. This could have been Akatsuki recruits or just wayward ninja, and he needs to find out who.

"I just sent Naruto home," Sakura says, voice suddenly soft, not the clinical tone she uses whenever it concerns her healing. "He's been staying over every night, wanted to be here when you woke up, but he hasn't been eating well and I sent him—"

"I have to get back," Sasuke interrupts because it's not like he hasn't noticed Naruto's absence. The blond is always there when Sasuke wakes up. This is the first time he's been missing.

"I will kick your ass for being such an idiot another day, Sasuke," Sakura snaps, not missing a beat. She watches as Sasuke finishes putting on his uniform. "I have to do rounds still. You should visit him, by the way."

"Who?"

"Naruto, you idiot," Sakura growls. When her pager starts to beep she glances down at it, mumbles a "For fuck's sake" under her breath. She doesn't leave immediately though, just lingers by the door. "Kiba has already been discharged."

Sasuke ties on his kunai pouch. "Good."

"I'm wondering, Sasuke," Sakura says after a moment's pause. She sounds thoughtful, as if she's figured out how to say this already, has practiced it a little. "When will you start to value your own life as much as you do other's? Or maybe your brother's?"

Sasuke freezes at that, because it's not a secret in Team 7 that Sasuke has a death wish, that he's resigned himself to dying before he ever reaches twenty. Once Itachi dies, Sasuke isn't sure what else to do with himself. Dying seems just as good an option as any. People like Kiba, Naruto, Sakura, Neji, though—they have a life to come back to, a life they want to come back to.

"I already do," he lies, and doesn't meet Sakura's eyes as he leaves the hospital room.

* * *

The ANBU headquarters is milling with people late in the evening, either reporting for duty or getting back from missions. It's an austere building with a black marbled wall at the entrance, where the ANBU logo is etched in silver. Next to it is the lettering: Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai.

When Sasuke steps out of the elevator onto the sixth floor, there are people waiting for him in uniform, in civilians, even with just a towel around their waist. "Uchiha!" one of them yells and they all start clapping, some whistle, a few more thump Sasuke on the back as he walks by. "Well done, ANBU," a few lean forward to mumble, and they all give way for Sasuke as he steps into the locker rooms. It makes something warm stir in Sasuke's stomach, because the last time people lined up to welcome him back, it was to hiss Traitor and You're not welcome here.

When he gives the Hokages a sidelong glance, the Shodaime is smiling at him. The Nidaime nods his head, an acknowledgment that is almost respectful. Even the Yondaime looks impressed, arms crossed over his chest. He takes a quick shower, changes out of uniform, and is about to return home when Hiashi finds him. "My office, ANBU, now." And then, he's walking away. "What, really?" the Nidaime barks, voicing Sasuke's own annoyance. Sasuke follows Hiashi anyways, keeping his face neutral as the older man holds open his office door.

"Your theatrics, although impressive," Hiashi says by way of hello, "Were out of line."

"If I were Commander, I'd fire this man, " the Nidaime snarls earnestly. Hiashi sits down in his chair, eyes narrowed. "You disobeyed your commanding officer's orders. The mission specifically stated that you should avoid confrontation."

"Here we go," Sarutobi says wearily. Sasuke's mind goes blank, and when he doesn't say anything for a moment, the Yondaime urges, "Answer your Captain, boy."

This is such a stupid line of questioning, Sasuke isn't sure how to answer it. It was an obvious choice, not something that needs to be explained away in the Captain's office. "He's my teammate," Sasuke says.

"That's no excuse to risk the mission—"

"The mission," Sasuke snaps, and gathers his words before continuing. "The mission was completed successfully by that point. I ordered the others to retreat. Whether or not I returned was irrelevant to the mission's success or failure at that point."

"You are a part of the mission," Hiashi thunders. "More importantly, you still have trouble following orders—"

"With all due respect, Captain," Sasuke interrupts. "No matter what you say, how you say it, or how _long_ you say it for, I won't apologize for, or regret my actions."

"You are out of line—"

"And this conversation is pointless, Hyuga," Sasuke snarls, eyes burning into a Sharingan now. "He is my man, my responsibility. Fire me if you want, but don't lecture me. It's a waste of both of our time."

Sasuke is half-expecting Hiashi to lash out, maybe even throw a jutsu at him. It's a surprise when Hiashi takes a deep, steady breath and stands up. "Like teacher, like student, they say."

"Don't bring him up in this," Sasuke hisses, gritting his teeth. "It was _my_ decision—"

"I'm suspending you from your duties."

"The _fuck_?" Sasuke growls, just as the Nidaime mutters, "That's interesting."

"For forty-eight hours," Hiashi finishes coolly, and the Shodaime actually laughs. Sasuke snaps his mouth shut, not sure what to say to something like this. The Yondaime is the first to speak in the silence that follows, "I thought he was going to fire you..."

Unthinkingly, Sasuke repeats, "You're not firing me."

"My nephew, your second in command, was there that night," Hiashi speaks, voice quiet now. He looks Sasuke in the eyes when he says the next words. "I wonder if it had been _my_ boy instead of Inuzuka, whether I would've ever been able to repay you." Sasuke unclenches his fist, relaxes his muscles at this. There's another moment's silence before Hiashi says, voice curt again, "Dismissed."

Sasuke leaves, wondering whether that's what binds a ninja village together: Debts, from one man to another. In the Village of Sound, the only thing that bound the men together was bloodlust. Sex, alcohol, and the adrenaline rush of killing or getting killed were enough for ninja to work together under Orochimaru. But in the end, they'd all betrayed each other, ran like cowards as Sasuke burned his way through their ranks.

The Hokages are silent for a while before the Nidaime points out, "I think your Captain doesn't hate you anymore."

"Hate him?" the Shodaime asks. "The man never hated him—"

"He hated him," the Yondaime deadpans. "He's a Hyuga, this boy is an Uchiha...God that story gets old."

"It's a new chapter in history!" Sarutobi enthuses brightly. "Imagine the two clans getting along!"

Sasuke feels his lips twitch into a smile despite himself as he leaves H.Q. The Hyuga and Uchiha Clans will never, ever get along. The next generation's future is ruined already due to the simple fact that Neji is eyeing Naruto.

Shikamaru's voice, when Sasuke hears it from across the street, is a surprise. "Uchiha!" Shino is with him and raises a hand in greeting. Sasuke returns the gesture and approaches them. Neji is also there, and when Sasuke is within earshot, he drawls, "I've turned in the report for you already."

"A 'hello' would have been good," the Nidaime grumbles.

"They're talking!" Sarutobi breathes, positively delighted. "They're talking, Shodaime..."

"Let's eat," Shino says and jerks a thumb over his shoulder, in the direction of a grill/bar. Sasuke follows them towards the restaurant and settles in a chair. The men order a round of beer, which is when, surprisingly, Kiba walks in.

"Gentlemen," he greets, sitting down across from Sasuke. Akamaru barks happily and then settles under the table. Kiba looks like he usually does, which can only mean that Tsunade healed him. He orders a beer as well and sits back, grinning. "You were out for a while," Kiba says, smirking. "I recovered before you did, huh?"

"Uchihas have always been slow," Neji mutters under his breath, and when Sasuke turns to look at him, there is no malice in his expression.

"Fuck you, Hyuga," Sasuke says and leans back into his chair when the waitress places their order on the table.

"You get demoted?" Shikamaru asks around a mouthful.

"Suspended," Sasuke corrects and takes a sip of his beer. "Forty-eight hours."

Kiba sniggers. "Should've gotten fired for what you pulled."

"Shut up, Inuzuka," Shino says politely. "What he's trying to say is thank you. Unfortunately there is not very much gray matter in his skull so—"

Kiba slams his fist into the table, voice raised already. "Oi, Aburame!" A few of the other patrons in the restaurant turn to look at them.

"Shut it, you troublesome piece of—"

"Goddamn bug-freak! I'll show you thank you—"

"Behave, for God's sake," Shikamaru grumbles threateningly.

Sasuke points out, "Nara, your woman's turning you _into_ a woman." He takes a swig of his beer, smirking when Kiba starts laughing at that.

"Behave," Kiba mimics and falls into a fresh round of laughter. "That sounds like Ino."

"Boys, that's no way to talk in front of a lady," Sasuke mumbles and Neji's lips twitch. Even Shino chuckles.

"Fuck you, Uchiha," Shikamaru says solemnly, jabbing his fork at Sasuke. "Fuck you."

"Teamwork, right?" the Yondaime mumbles.

* * *

Kiba is reenacting Sasuke's dramatic rescue, complete with Ishi's hisses, when they see the others. "Then he goes, 'Cover my trail, Akamaru! Can you understand me? Or am I a crazy person talking to a dog?'" Kiba says. "And the snake goes 'Ssssssssss,' and then Uchiha actually says back, 'Sssssssss.' And it's like, they can fucking communicate this way or something—"

Neji starts to laugh again. The man has had a few beers and has loosened up considerably. Shikamaru is bent over in half, laughing so hard that he can't sit up straight anymore. "I mean, there's this fucking seven-foot long cobra around me, and I'm thinking, damn, this thing is going to eat me for dinner—"

"He wanted to," Sasuke says. He glances at the waitress to get her attention, and orders another drink. "I should've let him."

"—And after I throw up my guts, I pass out. But does this man leave me? No—"

"You need to get on a fucking diet," Sasuke interrupts, turning to look at Kiba with a smirk.

"Inuzuka, you fat cow," Shino deadpans and takes a swig of his beer. "You fat, bloated cow." Neji and Shikamaru drown in slightly drunken hysterics again. Kiba follows shortly, slapping the table top with his palm. He makes a wet coughing sound now and then, but that's the only sign of his previous injury.

Which is when Sasuke spots Naruto, walking through the restaurant doors, Sakura, Lee, Hinata, Ino and Chouji close at hand. "Hey, Sarge—" Kiba begins but then falls silent when he realizes who just walked in. "Hinata!"

"Hooo, boy," the Nidaime whistles. "Steady, Uchiha."

"This village has at least fifty restaurants," the Yondaime grumbles. "Why do they all have to visit the same one?"

"Perhaps the food is good," the Shodaime speculates.

"It looks good," Sarutobi puts in, sighing wistfully. "I want an apple."

The Nidaime says, looking longingly at the beer in Sasuke's hand, "A sake. A shot, that's all I ask."

Sasuke watches Naruto approach, hand curled around the mug in his hand. Naruto looks older, tired, worn out, as if in the week Sasuke was sleeping, he's aged. When he sees Sasuke, he looks relieved, but his lips are still pressed into a thin line. Not a smile in sight, which is when Sasuke realizes just how much he likes them—Naruto's smiles, the way they make the scars on his face become thin, his eyes brighten, something in the air lighten.

And why, Sasuke wonders, did Naruto even leave his side? Why wasn't Naruto there when he woke up? "—pull up a table," Kiba enthuses, and within the next minute, the gathering has doubled in size. Naruto is on the other end of the table, paying attention to the story that Kiba starts narrating. He doesn't meet Sasuke's eyes, not even when Sasuke stares pointedly. After a while, Sasuke gets to his feet, ready to leave. The table falls silent and everyone turns to look at him.

Kiba asks, "We'll see you Monday, then? We can finally get some missions once you get back..."

"You," Sasuke says, jabbing his finger at Kiba, "Are relieved of field duty until you're fully recovered, Inuzuka."

"Oi—"

"Hyuga." Sasuke turns to Neji, voice flat as he doles out orders. "I want him doing paperwork."

"Roger," Neji says, stretching. "We've only done patrol since you've been out, so there's plenty of paperwork." Sasuke places a few bills on the table, ignoring Kiba's indignant howls.

Hinata gives him a grateful, heartfelt smile. "Thank you, Sasuke. For everything. My father is Captain, so I know what your actions must have cost you." _Only forty-eight hours,_ Sasuke wants to say, but Hinata smiles again and all he can do is nod. Kiba yells, "Paperwork? Fucking piece of shit, Uchiha! Is that why you saved me? So I could do your goddamn paperwork?"

"You should do something," the Nidaime whispers suddenly in his ear. "Don't just ignore Naruto, you won't get anywhere if he has to make all the effort himself—"

"Stop helping—"

"He was so worried," Sarutobi sighs. "He stayed by your side for days, Sasuke."

"Take the initiative for once, boy," the Shodaime commands. "Don't be a coward." And that's all it takes for Sasuke to make up his mind (coward? An Uchiha?) "Dead last," Sasuke says, as he's passing Naruto. "You done?"

Naruto freezes, eyes widening slightly. "Done?"

"Eating. Are you done eating?" Sasuke growls, aware of the entire table staring at them now. Naruto's plate is full, but he gets up anyway and gives half-hearted goodbyes to the others. Ino grabs Naruto's arm just as he's about to leave and gives him a long, meaningful look. "I _know_," Naruto hisses, pulling away from her. Sakura scoffs around a mouthful, jabbing Lee in the side as if encouraging him to speak. The man just shakes his head, looking disappointed.

Neji gives Naruto a blank, heavy look before turning away. "That's...odd," the Nidaime says finally. "What was that?"

"Let's go," Sasuke snaps when Naruto lingers, and is rewarded with a "You impatient bastard."

Then, they're outside, walking towards Naruto's apartment. "Say something," the Nidaime prompts. "Go on. This is a perfect opportunity, boy—"

The Yondaime screams, "_Get away from my son, you delinquent_!"

"Where were you today?" Sasuke asks and that's all it takes for Naruto's monolithic guilt complex to kick into hyperdrive. He comes closer to Sasuke, touching his elbow hesitantly.

"I went home for the afternoon, a few hours at most, I didn't think..." He trails off and grips Sasuke's wrist lightly. "I wanted to be there when you woke up. You know that, right? "

"I know," Sasuke relents, because the expression on Naruto's face is the very definition of misery. Naruto still looks ready to walk off a cliff in his despair, so Sasuke repeats, "Naruto. Don't worry about it."

"You feeling all right?" Naruto asks, voice pitched low.

Sasuke rolls his eyes. Naruto and his goddamn concern, he thinks. It's annoying, a burden almost. "I'm fine, dead last."

"Good," Naruto says, voice clipped. He grabs Sasuke's arm and forces Sasuke to face him.

Sasuke stops, frowning slightly. "What are you—"

"I will kill you now," Naruto says, smiling brightly, and lets his fists fly.

* * *

After kicking each other around for a few hours, Naruto decides that he's given Sasuke the beating Sasuke deserves for being such an idiot and declares loudly that he's going home. Sasuke usually enjoys sparring with Naruto, because it's challenging, because Naruto can hold his own against Sasuke, and because when Naruto fights, he becomes slightly sweaty, flushed a pretty pink, and sometimes even takes off his shirt to combat the heat. Over time, Sasuke has realized that if he uses more fire jutsus and raises the temperature high enough, Naruto will strip down faster and well—there are a great number of perks to being an Uchiha.

But while Naruto heals instantaneously from their spars, Sasuke is always still slightly sore. Today, he's even limping from a brilliant maneuver Naruto executed to pin Sasuke down. Which is why Naruto takes pity on him and offers to fix Sasuke up. Sasuke protests for an appropriate amount of time and then lets himself get dragged behind Naruto.

Naruto's apartment is close to town, set in one of the ritzier areas overlooking the Hokage monuments. Naruto moved in once he started to train under Tsunade as the unofficial, next-in-line pick for Hokage. Tsunade has unknowingly furnished Naruto's apartment, mostly because the inordinate amount of time Naruto spends as her aide gives him a good paycheck.

Naruto keeps a spare of everything for Sasuke to use, so spending the night at Naruto's place is never an inconvenience. Sasuke's toothbrush is in the cabinet, his towel in the closet in the bathroom, shaving kit behind the mirror, even though Naruto can't grow a beard or any body hair (the Kyuubi's chakra leaks out and fries his hair follicles, raises his whole body temperature, that's why he can't stand winters, Naruto explained to him once mournfully; _Such a fucking woman, dead last_, Sasuke dutifully insulted, but then went home later that night and readjusted each and every single one of his fantasies).

Naruto has even bought Sasuke's favorite brand of shampoo, soap, and deodorant. He keeps them well stocked in his apartment so if Sasuke were to ever show up one day, he would feel at home. Sasuke steps into the shower for a quick rinse and then emerges, towel around his waist. He's going through Naruto's walk-in closet, looking for pajamas when he hears Naruto yell from the bathroom around the toothbrush in his mouth, "Second drawer, to the left."

"Right," Sasuke mutters and wonders idly why Naruto so compulsively rearranges everything in the apartment at odd intervals. "Just leave my clothes alone, dead last."

"You have closet space here?" the Yondaime breathes, sounding desperate. He clutches at his heart dramatically. "I think I'm dying. Oh God, I need to lie down. _I need to lie down_."

"You're already dead, Namikaze," the Nidaime says, unhelpful as always. He eases the Yondaime onto a chair regardless. When Minato descends into paler shades of blue, the Nidaime turns to the elder Senju. "Brother, he doesn't look too good."

"Breathe, Minato," Sarutobi counsels. "In, and out, in and out, in and out, see?"

"Shut up, you bastard," Naruto snaps back and spits viciously into the sink. Sasuke watches him wrench open the closet in the bathroom (his bathroom is big enough to have a closet, two sinks, plenty of counter space and a glitzy-looking shower stall). He rummages around before emerging with an armful of first aid items: Gauze pads, self-adhesive tape, warming pads, antibacterials. He doesn't need any of these personally; they're for Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi when the need arises.

Sasuke dutifully sits down on the bed, dressed in boxers and sweats. The bed is as deliciously comfortable as it looks (Naruto has furnished his apartment with the most luxurious furniture available. Sasuke is willing to pass out on Naruto's carpet—steam cleaned once every month by a service Naruto hires—if Naruto gave him permission). It's a little embarrassing that Naruto makes so much more money than he does. His days of living on a meager stipend provided by the Village Council are long over. Now, Naruto is what ninja Sasuke's age consider well off. The strangest thing is that Naruto is still a genin, but goes on A- and B-rank missions right along with the other jounin. At this rate, he'll be the first genin to become Hokage. And that's so typically Naruto, the most unpredictable ninja in the village. From genin to Hokage, and no one will contest his ascent anymore, not after everything that has happened.

Naruto gets to work on dressing Sasuke's wounds with practiced ease. He's done this countless times for Sasuke before, and it's a familiar routine. When Naruto rolls up Sasuke's pants to expose the injured knee, Sasuke doesn't protest, just leans up against the headboard. They're silent as Naruto goes through these movements except for the occasional "Hey, bastard, this feel all right?" and "Fine, dead last."

It's when Naruto is carefully spreading antibacterials to scratches on Sasuke's back (courtesy of Naruto's nails as he fought tooth and claw to escape Sasuke's hold at one point) that Naruto mutters, "I'm proud of you. For what you did for Kiba."

Kiba, Shikamaru, Neji and Shino all nearly died in an attempt to retrieve Sasuke from Orochimaru once. There was a time when Shikamaru would not look Sasuke in the eyes, still seething over Chouji's injuries. There was a time when Kiba would look through Sasuke, as if Sasuke didn't exist. Sasuke doesn't say any of this, even though it weighs heavily on his mind. Instead, he says, "Did you think I'd leave him behind?"

"_No_," Naruto says, voice suddenly loud. He is a little rough when he presses a two-by-four gauze pad into one of Sasuke's wounds and doesn't say anything for the rest of the time. When he's packing up the materials fifteen minutes later, he mutters, "It's nice to see the village start accepting you again, though."

And isn't that the strangest part of it all, Sasuke wonders, flexing his fingers. Naruto has bandaged his knuckles up a little too tightly, but Sasuke will not complain. He's too amused at the irony of it all: Naruto, once the hated demon child of Konoha, now the obvious pick to be the Sixth Hokage, taking pity on Uchiha Sasuke, once the village's darling, now their reformed traitor. "I'll take the couch," Sasuke offers, getting to his feet.

"See?" the Nidaime crows triumphantly. "The boy's horny as hell, but he's not going to take advantage of your son! He's a good man, like I said."

The Yondaime growls, sounding petulant, "Yeah, well..."

"Take the bed, you jerk," Naruto snaps and pushes Sasuke back towards the bed. "You just got out of the hospital." Naruto never, ever offers to take the couch. He likes large, comfortable beds, heavy sheets, big pillows. This is the first time Naruto has ever willingly given up a bed for Sasuke. Even on missions, Sasuke usually spends the night on the floor or a lumpy futon while Naruto spreads out happily on the bed (mostly because Kakashi orders him to; otherwise Kakashi will have to sit through Naruto's incessant complaints for the rest of the mission).

"Dead last—"

"My home, my rules," Naruto insists, defiant now and shoves Sasuke onto the bed. "Shut up and just take the damn bed."

"He's worried," the Shodaime explains patiently. "He thought you were going to die, Sasuke."

"We all thought you would," the Nidaime puts in, and his voice sounds a little gruff. "You piece of shit, puling a stunt like that."

Sarutobi chuckles, placing a hand on the Nidaime's shoulder. "What Tobirama-sensei means is that he was worried. As was Naruto, so you should comfort him."

Sasuke isn't very good at comforting people, mostly because he hasn't had to do it much in his lifetime. So he offers, trying to lighten the mood, "We can share the bed." On any normal day, Naruto would have yelled at him for being a pervert before hitting him and throwing him out. Today, though, Naruto freezes for an instant before muttering, "Fine," and he's crawling into bed the next instant.

Sasuke's mind goes blank. This, he realizes, is a plan that has backfired. He can offer to take the couch, kick Naruto out of the bed, or settle in next to the blond and thank the gods for his luck. The only problem with sleeping next to Naruto is this: Sasuke almost always ends up getting hard about halfway into the night and has to jerk off, which is beyond embarrassing when it's in _Naruto's bathroom_. But there's really no way of escaping this situation, because Naruto mutters, "Hey, you coming to bed?" And that's all it takes for Sasuke's will to crumble (maybe today's my day, he tells himself), and he settles under the covers as well.

Naruto turns off the light, which is when the Yondaime whispers, "Can we possess people, Sarutobi-sensei?"

"No, Minato, we can't possess people."

"Maybe I should sleep on him," the Yondaime says slowly.

"And what would that accomplish?" the Nidaime drawls. "He'll just get cold."

"Eventually, I'll sink into his spirit, take over his body, and then walk him off a cliff," the Yondaime breathes, the idea slowly forming in his mind.

"You _can't_ possess people—"

"Shut up," Sasuke mumbles and rolls onto his stomach, getting more comfortable under the covers. The bed is even more comfortable than he anticipated. It's perfect, he thinks with a sigh.

Naruto shifts closer to Sasuke, hand reaching out to touch him. "I didn't say anything, Sasuke."

"Fine," Sasuke says and pulls away from Naruto's touch, edging to the other end of the bed. He's not sure he can handle Naruto so close. But then again, the Yondaime is right there so it's doubtful his body will betray him any time soon.

"Just remember, Uchiha," the Yondaime hisses. "_One_ move..."

Naruto is silent for a few moments before he inches closer and puts a hand on Sasuke's back. He pushes chakra in, not budging even when Sasuke hisses in annoyance as his skin lights up blue. "Is this safe?"

"It's fine," Sasuke snaps and tries to push Naruto away.

"Kakashi-sensei looked a little worried when Sakura told him," Naruto murmurs and his hair falls into Sasuke's face, smelling fresh and wild.

Sasuke clenches his fist so he doesn't reach up and do something stupid: Like feel the texture of Naruto's hair between his fingers, maybe tuck it behind Naruto's ear. "He was probably just bored."

"No, he was worried. I know the difference between Bored-Kakashi-sensei and Worried-Kakashi-sensei," Naruto insists. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"Uchihas are born with this," Sasuke explains and rolls onto his back. Naruto moves his hand to Sasuke's stomach, resting it lightly over his belly button. "It's for the Sharingan."

"But Kakashi-sensei isn't an Uchiha, so how does he keep up the Sharingan without the chakra pathways?"

_Good question. _But Sasuke isn't willing to stay up discussing the specifics of the Hatake bloodline, their strange, ancient chakra and Sasuke's private theory that Kakashi might be the greatest ninja to date. "I don't know, ask Kakashi," Sasuke insists. "Dead last, I'm tired."

Naruto stills at this, and even in the dark, Sasuke can imagine the expression on the blond's face, the dulling of his blue eyes, the small crinkle between his eyebrows. "You always do these things, you idiot," Naruto says softly and moves his hand up to Sasuke's chest, where his heart is. "Sakura said you probably wouldn't survive. I asked Tsunade to heal you, but she wouldn't."

Tsunade refusing to heal Sasuke is no surprise, but the knowledge of it still stings. "I'm sure she had her reasons," the Shodaime says, but his cheer is a little forced. Sasuke's betrayal of the village is still fresh on Tsunade's mind; Sasuke could live a thousand lives, serve the village with all his heart and she would still not forgive him for his treason.

"Sakura did fine on her own," Sasuke mutters and lies completely still, because Naruto lowers his head onto Sasuke's chest lightly. He becomes completely still, and Sasuke realizes in that instant that Naruto is listening to his heart beat.

A few moments later, Naruto pulls away from Sasuke slightly, but doesn't move far, his breath hot against Sasuke's shoulder. Naruto is silent for a long, long time. Eventually, he presses his hand against Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke is glowing bright blue before he can protest, chakra evaporating off his body like steam. "Dead last—"

"Sakura said," Naruto mutters, sounding wicked and inching closer. "That you were blue."

"I am, you idiot," Sasuke barks and holds up his hand. "I get that—"

"Blue everywhere," Naruto repeats and puts his face close to Sasuke's, close enough that their noses are touching slightly. He angles his head as if to kiss Sasuke, parts his mouth as if he's going to lick him. The blond has spent enough time with Jiraiya, knows exactly what will drive someone mad with lust. It's frustrating because Naruto realizes this advantage over Sasuke, uses it to his full extent, because Naruto is a shameless, manipulative bastard like that. It's the same way he pulls out a sexy no jutsu for Jiraiya, dangles the latest edition of Icha, Icha Paradise for Kakashi. "Blue _everywhere_, Sasuke," Naruto breathes on Sasuke's lips hotly.

Sasuke freezes for a split moment before he slaps Naruto's hand away. The glow of his body fades almost instantly. "What happened to patient confidentiality?"

Naruto laughs, loud and clear. "I heard sex with you would be greatly improved as a result," he says, leering. He pulls to the other side of the bed before Sasuke can process this phrase. "Good night, Sasuke."

Sasuke feels his mind go blank and he manages, "Huh."

The Yondaime just howls.

* * *

Sasuke gets hard at exactly 2:13 am, when Naruto rolls onto his back and "_Mhmms_" in his sleep, breathing deeply. His hand brushes against Sasuke's shoulder.

So, dutifully, Sasuke slips out of Naruto's apartment, blurs across town and slams into his bathroom (ignoring the Hokages yelling at him, "What's wrong, Uchiha? Is there a threat?") He emerges twenty minutes later, scowling, and wearing a new set of boxers.

The Nidaime is the first to understand and he whispers something into the Shodaime's ear. Sasuke hears him say, "Brother, he's..." The Shodaime's eyes go wide in understanding and he conveys the message to Sarutobi who ah-s knowingly. They leave out the Yondaime who keeps glancing between the others and demanding an explanation.

Sarutobi clears his throat as Sasuke is slipping under his covers (his ears are burning in embarrassment) and says, "Sasuke. It's a natural process for teenagers to—"

Both the Yondaime and Sasuke round on him, faces flushed pink. "_Sarutobi-sensei_!"

Sasuke does not masturbate for three entire days after this incident.

_End of Chapter Four_


	5. Five: White Fang

**In Good Company  
**Five: White Fang

Kobarashi Isamu is a nondescript brunet with straight, yellowing teeth, and a scowl on his face. His blood is on Sasuke's blade, and it is the only sample of DNA that comes out with a positive match in the ANBU databases. His picture appears almost immediately when Sasuke takes the initiative and orders Shikamaru into Shinobi Counterintelligence.

The investigation is unauthorized. Hiashi has not ordered them to find out the identities of their attackers—that is a task for Special Jounin and S.C.I. Once those two departments have sorted out the details, ANBU will then be dispatched to deal with the threat. But Sasuke's curiosity has been eating at him, and he does not like to be in the dark, especially when it concerns Naruto's safety. He has to know—_needs_ to know—if it was Akatsuki who attacked the team during their mission to the Land of Rice Fields.

It takes Shikamaru two days, and when he returns, it is with a folder and a grumble. "So damn troublesome, Uchiha."

The folder is relatively thick. Kobarashi has been associated with several outlaw groups, including Orochimaru, the Eastern Front Liberation Army, and more recently, Akatsuki. He's a scouting agent, recruits potential members and gets paid a small fee for every willing fighter he provides. The fact that Akatsuki is recruiting is a red flag in itself, has the Yondaime pacing the length of the small conference room.

Neji, Kiba and Shino have gathered as well, slumped into chairs and quietly waiting for Sasuke's analysis. "Akatsuki," Kiba grumbles, letting his head drop to the table. "Man, they're such a pain in the ass."

Shino glances up at the ceiling where one of his bugs cautiously inspects the light fixtures. "Akatsuki is an exclusive group. They do not recruit."

"They're apparently recruiting now," Shikamaru says, nonchalant as always. "And this means…Uchiha?"

Sasuke gets to his feet and approaches the map on the wall. Groups like Akatsuki use recruits only as warm bodies, distractions for a larger fight of some kind. It's the perfect cover for Akatsuki. With Orochimaru gone and without the Village of Sound, the Land of Rice Fields is a power vacuum, and different groups are likely competing to fill the space that Orochimaru left behind. And it's working, Sasuke realizes, because Konoha has already shifted its attention to the Land of Rice Fields. ANBU teams are being dispatched to investigate this activity, but they're wasting their time. Sasuke is wasting his time, lounging around Konoha as if he has nothing better to do, when he should be heading west.

Shino clears his throat. "Uchiha," he repeats.

"It's a smoke screen," Sasuke answers finally. The Nidaime hm-s under his breath, nodding his head in agreement.

Neji walks to the front of the room as well, standing next to Sasuke with his head held high. After a moment, he taps on the dot that is labeled Konohagakure. "They're heading for Naruto."

And the concern in his voice makes Sasuke's heart quicken with anger. He feels immediately ashamed of this reaction. Akatsuki is closing in on Konoha, and he is still distracted by something as petty as Naruto's romantic entanglements. Itachi always said Sasuke had a fickle mind, not the mind of a ninja. Sixteen going on seventeen, and it still stings when his brother is proven right. Sasuke is spared the need for having to agree because Kiba throws up his hands dramatically. "_Really_? I mean, really? Do they have _nothing_ better to do?"

Shino ignores Kiba in favor of asking another question. "But why are they—"

There's a brisk knock on the door, and then it opens. A genin enters, poking his head cautiously through the crack. He's a messenger, and wordlessly, he approaches Sasuke, handing over a letter. It has the official seal of the Commander of the Joint Forces. "Well? What is it?" the Nidaime demands from his corner of the room.

Sasuke pushes a few bills into the genin's hand. The boy scurries almost immediately. He opens the letter distractedly, even as he says, "We keep this investigation to ourselves until I've made up my mind."

Neji angles his head a fraction. "Is that an order?"

The note reads: _Field 9. 0930 hrs._

Field 9 is a beat-up training ground by the jounin dojos where Kakashi sometimes trains Sasuke, but only in the dead of the night, when there is no one to see. They have never trained in the mornings, when the dojos are full of people. This is unusual, but Sasuke does not have time to puzzle out the meaning of this because his watch reads 0923. "Typical, Hatake," Sasuke grumbles under his breath. He has seven minutes to get from here to the other end of the village. And if he's late—

Sasuke pockets the message and looks at the others. They look expectant, curious, and even Shikamaru has a contemplative look on his face. The Commander of the Joint Forces does not frequently contact any individual ANBU member. But then again, Sasuke thinks, the Commander of the Joint Forces isn't just anyone's delinquent, good-for-nothing teacher.

Kiba opens his mouth to ask the question on everyone's mind—What is it?—but Sasuke interrupts before the man can get out a word. "Yes, that was an order," he says, and vanishes with a pop.

* * *

Predictably, Kakashi is late.

Sasuke does an hour's worth of stretches, warms up for another hour, and even rearranges all the weapons in his holster. The ghosts watch him, the Nidaime and the Yondaime becoming increasingly impatient as the hours tick by. "Where is he?" the Yondaime demands every so often, floating up into the air to get a better visual.

Kakashi may or may not show up for training, but Sasuke has been Kakashi's student for long enough to know the virtue of patience. So he ignores the other jounin training around him, and waits patiently on a wooden bench by the side of the field.

Three hours later, there is a soft flare of chakra and a pop.

Kakashi stretches lazily. "Well."

Sasuke gets to his feet and faces Kakashi on the field, getting into a defensive stance. "I have better things to do, old man."

"Sakura tells me," Kakashi says loudly from the other side of the field, "That you glow blue in the dark." There is a weighty pause. "The problem is systemic, I hear."

Sasuke feels his face heat up, even as the Hokages start to laugh. "Fuck off, Hatake," he yells loudly, and blurs.

Sasuke's fist does not make contact with Kakashi's face as he had hoped. Predictably.

* * *

"What are you doing wrong?" Kakashi probes, sounding bored. He is sitting on Sasuke's back, trapping Sasuke's hand at an odd angle, and it makes it almost impossible for Sasuke to breathe without pulling at the muscles in his ribs.

Sasuke answers, "Boar seal," but it comes out as, "Brrrssshhhheeel," when he tries to say it. He spits out a mouthful of dirt, but only gets more dirt caked to the side of his face. Kakashi places a hand on Sasuke's head and rubs his face into the earth for emphasis.

"So fix it." The weight suddenly disappears from Sasuke's back, and Sasuke gets back to his feet. He is sweaty, dirty, and getting more and more frustrated in their second hour of training. It does not usually take him this long to understand a lesson, but this is a chakra lesson, and the only member of Team 7 with a decent understanding of chakra is Sakura. Even Naruto, the idiot that he is, has improved considerably under Jiraiya's tutelage. But Sasuke's forte has never been chakra. It has always been strategy, katon techniques, weaponry, and brute force.

"I don't know _how_," Sasuke yells at Kakashi, who has retreated to his side of the field. "I keep _pissing_ chakra from _every_ fucking orifice of my _goddamn_ body when I—" He makes a seal to demonstrate and chakra sizzles off his hands. "_Every_ fucking time!"

Kakashi is silent for a moment. "This isn't working."

Sasuke wisely keeps his mouth shut, because he can tell Kakashi is also getting frustrated. Which is always a bad sign and usually ends with Sasuke out cold on his back after Kakashi hands him his ass on a platter, Sakura tutting at his injuries. Sasuke can already hear her lecture: _Why do you always egg him on like that, he wants the best for you, but you always make it so difficult for Kakashi-sensei, I don't like it when you two behave like this, and Naruto doesn't either, what is wrong with you two, honestly, **boys**._

"Sharingan," Kakashi orders briskly and pushes up his hitai-ate. Sasuke glances around at the crowd of ninja idly watching them train, having abandoned their own training to observe the spectacle before them. This is an audience, which is generally unacceptable when training with the Sharingan. The secrets of the Sharingan are their secrets, no one else's, a ritual between Kakashi and himself that even Sakura and Naruto are not privy to.

"What, _now_?" Sasuke asks incredulously, but Kakashi's hands are already blurring into seals, and Sasuke instinctively follows, Sharingan bleeding into life.

It's a grounding jutsu, Sasuke can tell, but he doesn't understand until Kakashi slams his palm down to the earth. The entire field rumbles with the chakra he dispels, and then settles as the power diffuses out. Kakashi straightens, and Sasuke repeats the jutsu, but when he does it, there is a mild earthquake. Cracks emanate from his palm, breaking the field into sections. Sasuke tries to control it, slows the flow of his chakra to a more concentrated stream, but this only widens the crack.

Sasuke was not even aware he had this much chakra; enough to split the earth in two, and he doesn't even _feel_ it. Doesn't feel drained, doesn't feel anything, just a slight tingle as the crack continues to spread. The crowd watching by the sidelines sidesteps the crack, pushing against each other as the earth stops shaking and slowly comes to a stop.

Sasuke doesn't straighten immediately, can feel Kakashi's disappointment and annoyance thick like molasses in the afternoon heat. There will be a price to pay for his incompetence.

"Wrong," Kakashi corrects impatiently, and Sasuke defends against the sudden kick aimed at his side, a punch, another series of kicks and punches—and one lands on his shoulder, a splitting pain immediately blooming down his arm. Kakashi grabs his wrist and twists, ignoring Sasuke's curse to point out three different spots on his forearm. "Here, here, and here. Your chakra pathways branch, amplify, and then reconnect. That's why there's a surge when you do the boar seal. Fix it."

He retreats back to his side of the field. "Sharingan," Kakashi orders again, and his hands blur. It's the same jutsu, but Sasuke is more careful this time, feels where his chakra pulses and breathes deeply against the sudden flare of chakra in his stomach.

They do it together, and this time, the earth trembles but does not crack. Immediately, the Shodaime speaks. "Better," he critiques, with a slight smile. "Much better. But still—"

"_Wrong_," Kakashi barks, and Sasuke has less than a heartbeat to respond to Kakashi's sudden flurry of attacks.

* * *

Two hours into the training, and the crowd watching Sasuke and Kakashi has grown even bigger. They've moved onto weapons training now, typical of Kakashi's schizophrenic training sessions, and now—finally—Sasuke understands.

Kakashi's training sessions don't make much sense until they are at the end. Kakashi never begins a session by saying, _Today, we will learn about earth jutsus_. He only starts throwing fire jutsus at Sasuke until Sasuke understands that the only way to counter is with earth jutsus. Under Kakashi's tutelage, Sasuke has come to understand that this brand of teaching works just fine for him.

Sakura and Naruto frequently complain about Kakashi's teaching methods, sometimes to the man's face, but Sasuke finds himself always on Kakashi's side. For some reason, no matter what the lesson is, Sasuke remembers it (_Rule one_, Kakashi taught him, _Look out for your teammates_. _Rule forty-seven_, he would say four years later, _Always carry condoms_). Today has somehow become a session on weaponry and taijutsu. And it isn't until now, when Sasuke finds himself breathing out controlled fire from his lungs that he realizes the point of the entire training session.

Sword fighting and taijutsu, especially against Kakashi, requires all of Sasuke's concentration and patience. Forcing a katana on Sasuke and limiting the number of jutsus is the perfect way to drive home this lesson: It's not that Sasuke can't control his chakra, it's just that he has to relearn his patience and start from square one again. It's embarrassing to have to learn this in front of an audience, even worse since every time Sasuke turns around, there is a larger crowd. At one point, he saw Tsunade patiently watching them, her gold crown standing out in the sea of gathered nin. And there is a reason for this too, Sasuke realizes, because out of shame alone, Sasuke is relearning how to master his chakra much quicker than he would have done otherwise.

Orochimaru taught him how to yield a sword when he realized Sasuke had a natural affinity for weaponry. Orochimaru had been a master, but he did not wield a sword like Kakashi does, like an extension of his limbs or something to be honored. There are samurai in Kakashi's family, Sasuke knows, because the Hatake family is originally from the western lands. So it's not surprising that Kakashi moves with the sword with perfect grace and absolute ease. And because Sasuke is Kakashi's student, and because he is a Sharingan wielder, Sasuke is already mimicking the man move for move, and he has become better already. He can feel it in his bones, can sense it in the way Kakashi's eyes crinkle with approval when Sasuke gets into a perfectly held stance with the katana drawn out behind him. The sword that Sasuke is using for this session—one that Kakashi tossed in his direction two hours ago—is almost perfectly balanced, well cared for, and obviously well used. She fits perfectly into Sasuke's hands, and when his sword meets Kakashi's, she screeches bright and loud.

He loves her already.

Kakashi has not yet used a single jutsu, because he does not need to. He's schooling Sasuke's ass pretty well with just his sword. He lunges towards Sasuke, and in the time it takes Sasuke to react, he has grabbed Sasuke by the wrist, twisting until Sasuke drops his sword with a curse. "Never drop your sword," Kakashi instructs, stern, and then jumps slightly to deliver a kick at the center of Sasuke's sternum. Sasuke staggers back, groping for a weapon at his thigh only to remember that Kakashi has made this a sword-only exercise. He only has one jutsu and taijutsu left to defend with now, and already, Kakashi is moving towards him, a quick flash of silver and black.

"_Never_," Kakashi repeats, angling his sword—and it's to kill, Sasuke realizes, that's an angle to kill—"Drop your sword during battle." Another parry, and Sasuke is being pushed towards the edge of the field, conceding ground even as he forms seals for an earth jutsu. He slams his hand into the ground, and it trembles, but Kakashi does not lose his footing even when tree roots burst out of the ground to wrap around Kakashi's midsection. It is the Shodaime's technique, but Kakashi has already seen it once.

"Fuck," Sasuke mutters when Kakashi disappears, and it's only a second later that the jounin appears in front of him. There's a thin whine—the sound of the blade moving through the air—and Sasuke knows now that this match will end with his loss. He knows that feeling though, the heavy weight of disappointment, and he's had to live with it every day of his life for nearly a decade.

So Sasuke does the only thing he can think of: He stands his ground. He pushes his chin up, looks Kakashi square in the eyes, and spreads his feet shoulder-length apart to meet the attack head-on.

Kakashi changes the sword's angle mid-air to avoid any serious injury. There is a dull thwacking noise when the sword hits Sasuke upside the head, flat-edged and entirely harmless. The crowd laughs at this, and as if on cue, Sasuke feels the warmth of a flush spreading down his neck. "Look at that," Kakashi deadpans. "You're dead." The jounin is walking away before Sasuke can even react.

"Mediocre," Kakashi calls out over his shoulder, and Sasuke knows that the session is over. His grade for the day: Mediocre (and one of these days, he'll force the man to admit, _Good_, maybe even, _excellent_).

"_Mediocre_?" the Nidaime asks loudly. "He thinks that was mediocre? If I had a student like Uchiha—"

"You had a student like me, sensei," Sarutobi says, and it sounds only slightly petulant.

The Shodaime laughs, but before the ghosts can get into another conversation, Kakashi claps his hands. "Show's over folks, back to work." There is a murmur amongst the crowd, and they start to slowly trickle away. Sasuke joins Kakashi and starts to pull on his shirt. "I'm hungry."

Kakashi does not miss a beat. "You're always hungry." He pulls on his jounin vest and tugs once to settle it over his shoulders. "You're going to drill a hole in my pocket, kid."

Which means that Kakashi will pay for food, and potentially, alcohol. Sasuke rolls his eyes. "You're the Commander of the Joint Forces, Hatake. I couldn't drill a hole in your pocket even if I _tried_."

Kakashi puts a hand over his heart. "I donate to charity," he says solemnly, and shivers when the Yondaime reaches out to ruffle his hair fondly.

* * *

"Your little stunt," Kakashi begins mildly once they've started walking towards town. Sasuke heaves a sigh, because he has heard this lecture before. It is the one lesson that Kakashi can't teach him, no matter how many times he tries. _There is no cowardice in a strategic retreat_, Kakashi had told him once, a very long time ago. _Bull shit_, Sasuke had seethed, and Kakashi had laughed at the time.

"Spare me, Hatake."

Immediately, the Nidaime thunders from somewhere to his right, "You will show your sensei some respect, boy, or so help me—"

"I wasn't talking about the training session," Kakashi mutters, stretching his arms over his head. Instinctively, Sasuke flinches, expecting a head slap. There is none this time. "Although, you should have retreated."

_There is no cowardice in a strategic retreat_, Kakashi taught him, but Sasuke knows that there is. Sasuke knows cowardice, can feel it pressing down iron-heavy on his shoulders. He can't concede any more ground, not even in training sessions with Kakashi, because some days, it feels as if that's all he's ever been doing: Retreating, retreating, retreating from Itachi.

"I ordered Hiashi to fire you for that stunt you pulled on your mission," Kakashi says conversationally a few moments later. "It would seem as if he's picked up some of your habits in insubordination, however."

Sasuke's Sharingan swirls to life almost instantaneously, and he rounds on Kakashi. He wants to shove the man, maybe punch him. But this is Kakashi, and something like that would probably end with blood. "What the _fuck_, Kakashi?"

Kakashi stops walking, turning to look at Sasuke with a narrowed eye. "Excuse me?"

"Since when did you start teaching your students to be spineless cowards and—"

"Again," Kakashi interrupts calmly, gray eye like steel now. "Excuse me?"

Sasuke bites down on the words crawling up his throat, breathing heavily to control his anger. Kakashi did not trust his ability, did not think he was fit for duty, and that is what stings the most. Sasuke rarely gets Kakashi's approval, and no matter how many times he's disappointed the man, it still stings—somewhere deep in his stomach, where Sasuke gathers what's left of his pride after all these years. He looks at Kakashi for a few more moments, and then rounds on his heels. He's already several feet away when Kakashi calls out, "I thought you were hungry."

"Yeah, well." Sasuke turns to face him again, and seven feet away, it's easier to raise his voice against the man. "I lost my fucking appetite."

Kakashi jabs a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of downtown. "Let's go."

The ghosts are hovering around Kakashi, watching Sasuke carefully as if calculating the time it would take for Sasuke to lose his temper again. But they don't know Kakashi, not like Sasuke does, and his let's go, no matter how casual it seemed, was an order. So Sasuke clenches his hands into fists and follows Kakashi again.

They fall into step, silent for a few long minutes before Kakashi says abruptly, "My father's name was Hatake Sakumo. They used to call him White Fang."

Sasuke has heard of the White Fang, but not connected with the name Hatake. He assumed it was another exaggerated legend—a ninja greater than the Sannin themselves, but tainted with the dishonor of a thousand cowards. _Hatake Sakumo_, Kakashi pronounced carefully, and it reminds Sasuke of the way he says his own father's name. Always _Uchiha Fugaku_, never _Father_.

"During the Five Year War," Kakashi goes on casually, "Hatake Sakumo was given a mission of great importance. The success of this mission could have shortened the war, definitely shorter than five years." Kakashi stops just as abruptly as he began, and it's now that Sasuke realizes just how carefully Kakashi is holding his posture. He's not slouched like usual, but has drawn himself to full height, chin held high as he recites the story.

"Kakashi," the Yondaime breathes, and when Sasuke glances at him, he sees the same expression that Naruto gets whenever Sasuke talks about his clan. There are too many emotions to pin down just a single one of them, as if the Yondaime is carrying Kakashi's burdens as well.

Normally, Sasuke would've interrupted the narration. _So what?_ or _What the hell does this have to do with anything_? But in all the years that Sasuke has known Kakashi, this is the only time the man has disclosed any information about his family. So he stays silent and waits for Kakashi to finish his story. But five full minutes pass, and Kakashi still hasn't said anything. His curiosity gets the better of him, and before he can stop himself, Sasuke asks, "Was the mission a success?"

Kakashi huffs a laugh at this. "A failure, on every single level. Six of the men fell behind, so Sakumo doubled back to save them. His decision compromised the mission, compromised national security, and in the long run, extended the war by another year."

And now Sasuke understands the point of this story. This is Kakashi trying to say, _Surrender, learn how to walk away_. "I didn't compromise national security or—"

"It was a routine mission, and this was a routine training session," Kakashi interrupts sternly. "If it had been more important, you would have done the same. Regardless of the context, you keep making the same mistake."

Sasuke clenches his hands into fists. "Saving your teammates is a mistake now? You taught me—"

"I never taught you to throw your life away," Kakashi says, and this time, he stops walking to face Sasuke.

Sasuke snorts at this assessment. Sakura had said this to him only a month ago, and here is Kakashi, parroting her nearly word for word. "Did Sakura talk you into this bull shit?" Kakashi's jaw clenches at the question, and Sasuke can see the flex of muscle even through the man's face-cloth. "I did the right thing," Sasuke presses, because for once, Kakashi does not have a reprimand ready for his insubordination. "You _know_ I did the right thing—"

"Not everything has to be about Naruto," Kakashi says suddenly, and almost instantly, all the anger in Sasuke fades. Instead, there is that ever-present sense of gnawing guilt. He had forgotten the rules once, and he'd shoved his hand through Naruto's right lung because of it—and Naruto shouldn't have been alive after that, wouldn't have been if not for the Kyuubi. And it's not just Naruto now. Kiba, Shikamaru, Neji, anyone who crosses Sasuke's path, he can't leave them behind when there is still a chance that he can save them. Since when had human life lost its value, Sasuke wonders? Just when did a human life stop mattering? Hadn't he learned when he had watched his brother murder his mother? The fact that he'd forgotten, even for a moment, has to be the single most tragic perversion in Sasuke's clusterfuck of a life.

"What _happened_?" the Yondaime presses at the mention of his son, standing close to Sasuke now. "What happened between you and Naruto? Why won't anyone ever talk about—"

"So what?" Sasuke interrupts a little too loudly, because it hadn't occurred to him that the Yondaime doesn't know what he did to Naruto. Sarutobi had died before it ever happened, so none of the ghosts know the full extent of his sins. And if they were to find out, if any of them were to ever find out—"You think I should have left Inuzuka behind?"

Kakashi takes a deep breath. "Sasuke," Kakashi says slowly, carefully. "Someday you're going to have to leave somebody behind, and you're going to have to live with that."

"No," Sasuke insists. Because, he won't have to _live_ with a feeling like that again, not if he gets his way. He has been down that road before, and Naruto's blue, blue eyes are a constant reminder—every single day of his life. "No."

Kakashi's shoulders move up and down in a shrug, the fabric over his lips ruffling with his sigh. "I feel," he says slowly, "That your skull is thickening with age."

The moment hasn't passed yet, Sasuke knows, but Kakashi is trying. The least he could do is return the courtesy. "You going to buy lunch or what?"

Kakashi tilts his head. "I left you something in your ANBU locker," he says, bypassing Sasuke's inquiry entirely, and then, with a soft snap, he's gone.

Sasuke waits for a moment before heading back towards ANBU headquarters. He tries not to look too eager in front of the ghosts, but it's a wasted effort. The Nidaime gives him a flat look. "Just go already, kid. Don't let us keep you." He has a reputation to maintain, damnit, but Sasuke hasn't gotten a gift in nearly a decade. Even on his birthday he dutifully avoids celebrations. But this—from Kakashi, and Kakashi has only ever given gifts to Naruto and Sakura—this is different. "All right, boy," the Shodaime says, lips quirking in a smile. "Go on. Go see what your sensei has given you."

Sasuke blurs in his speed, and when he gets to his locker, the ghosts are already there. He takes a breath and opens his locker to see—

The katana he used in training. The sheath is whetstone black and smooth to the touch when Sasuke grips it. It's a good sword, better than the one that Sasuke has been using. The sword unsheathes with a sharp click, and now that Sasuke isn't in battle, he finally notices the three initials carved near the hilt:

_NM HK US._

"Namikaze Minato," Sasuke reads. "Hatake Kakashi…"

"And now, Uchiha Sasuke," Sarutobi finishes kindly.

"It's an Iwate sword," the Yondaime explains, squaring his shoulder. "Aina Iwate forged it for her son during the Third Great War, but he died early. So she gave it to me. I handed it down to Kakashi when he made jounin."

"You should be proud," the Nidaime says gruffly.

Sasuke rubs his thumb over the initials, reading them like braille: _NM HK US_.

"I am," he answers finally, and feels the weight on his shoulders easing.

* * *

Naruto finds Sasuke the next day in the commanding officers' lounge. Sasuke, Neji, and Jiro are working steadily through paperwork when Naruto enters the lounge with a flourish. Naruto's hair is pulled back into a stern ponytail, not a single stray strand in sight. He's dressed like Jiraiya, almost, but his kimono top has the brick-red Konoha insignia. He's here as Tsunade's personal aide, which means—

Everyone in the room stands at attention—even the jounin across the room—which is when Sasuke realizes. Saluting Naruto isn't humiliating, not as he'd imagined it would be. If anything…Sasuke's mind sidetracks into his fantasies in less than a second, and next thing he knows, he has an image of Naruto in the Hokage's office, wearing nothing but his robes, and saying slowly, I_ didn't dismiss you, Mr. Uchiha_—

The Nidaime yells from somewhere across the room. "Hey, kid, congrats!"

Sasuke lets his Sharingan swirl to life and tries very hard to keep his face straight when he sees the ghosts at the front of the room, having arrived along with Naruto. The Hokages are all smiling, even the Yondaime.

Earlier that morning, only two hours ago, Hiashi had arrived to announce the formation of Unit 3. Ten men, he'd said, dropping a stack of files on top of Sasuke's desk. "You're the C.O. Congratulations."

ANBU is required to operate with 50 members, Neji explained later. Five ten-man units at all times under the command of the Hokage. Every so often, units are rotated out—older members are put into Jounin ranks, and a younger batch is ushered in. Sasuke and Jiro's teams were the probationary five-man teams that would later be combined into a new unit based on their efficiency. The best man would be made C.O. Apparently, Sasuke had been in competition with Jiro without even knowing it.

"As you were," Naruto says easily, and the room resumes its earlier pace.

Jiro clears his throat. He's here to debrief Sasuke on his men, answer any questions Sasuke might have, and help ease the transitional process of the two teams merging. It's odd for Sasuke, especially because Jiro was his commanding officer when he first joined. The man doesn't seem too bothered by this shift of authority, but still… "As I was saying earlier, sir, I can have a progress report on each of the men—"

Naruto walks over to the table and rests a hand on Neji's shoulder in greeting. Sasuke bites down on the surge of feelings at this (of course he's here to see Neji). "A moment please, gentlemen," Naruto cuts in politely.

Jiro gets to his feet with a mumbled, "Yes, sir." Sasuke follows as well, putting out his cigarette in the ashtray and gathering his paperwork. He's about to leave with Jiro when Neji stands as well, giving him an odd look. "Yes, sir," Neji says pointedly and reaches for the paperwork in Sasuke's hands.

There's a moment of stillness—Sasuke and Neji staring at each other, both holding onto the same stack of files—which Naruto interrupts impatiently with an exasperated, "You bastard." He places a hand on Neji's elbow lightly, and Sasuke feels his heartbeat quickening with anger. He doesn't need to see this, damnit, he doesn't need this rubbed in his face day in and day out. He's gotten better at working with Neji, at forgetting about all the intimate moments that Hyuga must be sharing with Naruto (and God the images in his mind, one chasing after the other, and he feels _pathetic_, dreaming about a man who's fucking his second-in-command). "Sorry, Neji," Naruto murmurs, voice pitched low. "The bastard can be spectacularly awkward at times."

Sasuke feels his face flush. Naruto knows, Neji knows, everyone in the goddamn village knows about what Sasuke's thinking. "I'm fucking leaving," Sasuke snarls, and is about to walk away when Neji pulls at the files in his hands.

"No," Neji insists. "_I_ will be leaving." He pauses a beat. "Sir," he says, and the word comes out pronounced, as if he's willing Sasuke to understand.

"All right," the Nidaime says, "I'm a little confused."

The Shodaime clears his throat politely. "Perhaps, Uchiha, you should—"

"Oh for _God's_ sake, Sasuke," Naruto hisses. He reaches for the files and shoves them into Neji's hands. "I'm sorry, Neji. Thank you."

Neji gives Sasuke an odd, calculating look before turning to Naruto. "It's fine, Naruto. Dinner..."

"Absolutely," Naruto says, beaming now. "Come by my place at seven. I won't burn the food this time."

Sasuke takes a breath and meets the Shodaime's eyes. "Count to ten," the Shodaime instructs. "Before you say anything, count to ten."

_One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight_—"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" Naruto asks the minute Neji is out of earshot.

_You're fucking my second-in-command_, Sasuke wants to say. But—"Can I help you, Counselor?"

Naruto opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. He gapes at Sasuke for a second before rounding on his heels. "The Hokage would like to speak with you," he throws over his shoulder.

Sasuke is about to completely ignore the entire incident and go back to work when Naruto turns around to snap, "_Now_, ANBU."

_One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. Nine and a fucking half. Ten._ "Yes, sir."

The Shodaime exhales. "Well done, Uchiha."

* * *

Three minutes into their walk across town, and Naruto still hasn't said anything. It is possibly the longest time Naruto has ever been silent around Sasuke, and that alone is starting to make Sasuke itch for his weapons. The Hokages are still trailing them, keeping up a steady stream of commentary to analyze what may have just happened in ANBU headquarters.

"So, they're having dinner," the Nidaime ticks off. "But it didn't seem—"

"Oh, no, they're having dinner," the Yondaime says smugly. "And my boy is cooking. I approve. It will be a good match, I think, if they are truly serious. The Namikaze line with the Hyuga Clan. I couldn't have hoped better for my son. I think Kushina would have approved it as well. "

Sarutobi chuckles. "Personally delivering a simple message to Uchiha is hardly a duty for a junior counselor, Hiruzen. Naruto seemed like he was operating outside his usual responsibilities. He must have wanted to see Sasuke, if I were to guess."

Sasuke's mind latches onto that last detail, and before he can strategize a good opening line—"Dead-last. What the fuck was that at H.Q.?"

"To _ten_," the Shodaime snaps immediately, exasperation obvious. "Think before you speak, boy. _Think_."

Naruto stops mid-stride, right at the entrance of a small store. A few people step around them to go in and out, the door tinkling every time it opens and closes. "_You_," Naruto hisses angrily. "_You_ don't get to ask that question, not when you acted like a complete and total—"

Sasuke bends his head to crowd into Naruto's space, letting his Sharingan swirl. "Excuse me?"

Naruto immediately raises to the bait. "You acted like a _two_ year old. We don't need to air out our personal problems in front of other people, certainly not in front of your colleagues—"

"I," Sasuke snarls, and he has to take a deep breath, look away from Naruto and run a hand through his hair to control the rage crawling up his throat. His anger is his weakness, he knows, and he will control it. By God, he will. "I was _trying_ to give you two lovebirds some fucking space. You're oh so fucking welcome."

Naruto punches Sasuke in the shoulder, and the suddenness of the attack jostles Sasuke a step back. Sasuke pushes right back, not touching Naruto, but still crowding in. Naruto can be loud, can yell, can throw a punch or two, but Sasuke will not deal with Naruto like this. Sasuke has learned to respond with silence and by occupying what little space Naruto leaves between them.

He will not—not now, not ever again, not after what he's done—raise a hand against Naruto in anger.

Naruto purses his lips into a thin line, scars thickening with the expression. He punches Sasuke again in the shoulder, and this time, Sasuke doesn't budge. "Dead last," Sasuke says, and still doesn't raise his voice, because Naruto will always beat him in a yelling contest.

Naruto shoves at Sasuke's shoulder, not a punch, just an open-handed shove to get Sasuke to move away. It's a bit unusual for Naruto, this silent reaction, but the blond doesn't need to say anything to express his anger. His eyes are ice-blue and there's enough venom in each one of his shoves for Sasuke to get the message.

"All right you two, break it up," the Nidaime counsels. "You're making a scene."

Sasuke knows they're making a scene. He also knows that together, Team 7 has been making a scene in Konoha since its inception. Naruto pushes with both hands against Sasuke's chest, and this time, Sasuke grabs Naruto's wrists. "That's enough."

It's enough to send Naruto off into complete fight mode, and before Sasuke knows it, a searing pain blooms across his jaw. Distantly, he hears the Yondaime's disapproving, "Naruto," but the damage is done.

Besides, Sasuke has been itching for a fight.

It takes a full twenty minutes for Sasuke to pin Naruto up against the wall and immobilize him. Naruto is at a disadvantage—he's seething. It's not his usual anger, the kind that he can direct into productive taijutsu and ninjutsu. This is the kind of anger that Sasuke rarely sees, the one that turns Naruto into a flurry of elbows and knees.

They're in an alley now, by the side of the store where they first began their scuffle. So there is no one to see them like this, with Sasuke pushing Naruto up against a wall and holding him down with his weight alone. Naruto's hair isn't as pristine anymore, and there is a smudge of blood on the collar of his robes—Sasuke's, from a scratch to his face—but he's still breathtakingly beautiful in all his rage.

"You done with your hissy fit, dead last?" Naruto jerks briefly, trying to get free, but Sasuke shoves him firmly back up against the wall. "You done?"

Naruto is silent for a moment before saying, "I hate how you treat Neji like he's—"

And it takes all of Sasuke's will not to grip Naruto's wrists tighter in his anger. "Well I'm so very sorry to have upset your boyfriend's feelings, but—"

"He's not. My. Boyfriend," Naruto hisses. A beat, and then, "He's _straight_, you moron!"

Sasuke goes still at this, and in that moment, Naruto breaks free. "And stop acting like I'm—like I'm sleeping with every man who comes my way," Naruto continues, pulling his hair back into a ponytail. Sasuke isn't sure how this conversation went from Neji to Naruto's boyfriends to Naruto's general sex life, and he's not even sure he's hearing these words right. (_Neji is straight_?)

"I'm not, okay? I haven't even had sex in like—like fourteen months. Between Tsunade's insane work hours and—" he makes a rude gesture at Sasuke. "And _you_, I've practically taken a vow of chastity."

"What?" the Nidaime says suddenly, close to Sasuke. "Whoa, whoa, what?"

The Yondaime makes an odd, wailing noise. "But—I—what? I assumed—but—"

Sasuke opens his mouth, but then remembers the Shodaime's advice. _One Naka River. Two Naka River. Three Naka River_—"I don't see how this is relevant."

Naruto takes a deep breath. "I'm _single_, okay? Understand? Me, Uzumaki Naruto. I am _sin-gle_, you dimwit." He pauses a beat, and then, slowly, "I am also gay."

"Well, _yes_," Sasuke snaps, feeling his face turn red. He gestures expansively at Naruto. "I got _that_ part."

"Good," Naruto says, and he's slightly pink as well. "I just wasn't sure. I didn't know if you knew. For sure."

"I knew," Sasuke says hurriedly, and the image flashes across his mind again, as vivid as the day he'd walked in on it (Naruto on his bed, leaning over a dark-haired chuunin from the Land of Wind, straddling the man's thighs in nothing but a dress shirt, one hand working a steady rhythm in the man's pants).

"Just to be clear," Naruto insists, words coming out clipped. He smooths down his shirt again, almost nervous. "We're clear."

"Crystal," Sasuke answers immediately, and the heat has spread to the back of his neck now. He's in a goddamn alleyway, discussing Naruto's sexuality, _with Naruto's father_ a few feet away. He stays silent, not sure what else to say in a situation like this. It's slightly surreal, this entire conversation, and he's not even sure how he got here. Finally, crumbling under the weight of five expectant gazes, Sasuke clears his throat and says, "The Hokage, you said."

Naruto opens his mouth to say something, but then lets it hang open. Just when Sasuke is about to make a comment about gaping fish being unattractive, Naruto throws up his hands. "_Un_believable," he mutters, walking away from Sasuke.

Sasuke feels a chill on his shoulder before he hears the Nidaime. "I think we may have missed something just now."

Sasuke lets his Sharingan come to life so he can stare at the man. "You _think_?" he snaps, and follows Naruto before the ghost can say anything else.

* * *

Tsunade is in the middle of a phone conversation when Sasuke and Naruto are ushered into her office. Kakashi is lounging on one of the ornate sofas in the room, reading through a file and signing wherever Shizune points. Hinata is also there, and she gives Sasuke a small smile when their eyes meet.

The Hokage motions for Naruto to approach and points to another phone located on a separate table. Naruto walks over and picks up the phone, hand covering the receiver to mask any noise. Tsunade continues talking while Naruto listens. "Like I was saying, Mizukage—" She stops, listens, hm-s into the phone, and picks up again. "I'm hoping we can reach an agreement even sooner, Mizukage." Another beat. "Absolutely, and you too."

The conversation ends, both Naruto and Tsunade hanging up simultaneously. "My _God_ that man is demanding."

"It's a reasonable request," Hinata says diplomatically. Sasuke had known, peripherally, that Naruto and Hinata are now colleagues working their way up through the ranks in the Tower. Naruto is a junior counselor and personal aide to the Hokage, and Hinata, from what Sasuke has gathered, is only a step or two below Naruto's position. He's seen them huddled close over lunches and dinners before, discussing politics and strategy at a quick pace.

"His waterways for our port is not a fair trade," Naruto counters easily. "Our leverage with the East is our control over the river mouths—"

"But," Shizune interrupts, placing another file in front of Kakashi for his perusal, "What about the southern port?"

Tsunade scoffs. "We didn't have the southern port on the table before. I want to know more details about it before making a decision."

Naruto takes a deep breath. "I'll talk to the Department of Agriculture and the Council's Budget Office to pull some numbers about the southern port."

"When can I expect your report?"

"Give me three hours," Naruto answers neatly. "You'll have it on your desk by day's end."

Hinata gets to her feet. "You have a meeting with the Senior Council later today, Hokage-sama. Would you like to include the southern port on the agenda?"

Naruto perks up at that. "Hey, am I sitting in on that or—"

"_Senior_ Council, brat, there's no baby-seats at the table for youm" Tsunade grumbles. "And no, Hinata. We'll keep this to ourselves before bringing the council into the loop."

Naruto makes a face. "They don't even want this peace treaty to go through. Lord Danzo has been clear all along that he'll oppose whatever legislation or policy this administration wants to put out—"

Kakashi clears his throat. "Naruto," he begins, one eye crinkled in a smile, and Naruto immediately loses his steam. He stomps over to where Kakashi is and sits down next to him with a huff. Sometimes, Sasuke forgets that Naruto exists outside the context of missions and Team 7. It's difficult to imagine Naruto as anything but his teammate, but now and then, he's reminded of the amount of power and clout Naruto wields within the new administration. He's the rising star of Tsunade's legion of counselors, often quoted in newspapers, and has already got two significant bills under his belt: Free health insurance for low-income and orphaned children; and a fair trade agreement with the Kazekage. With Gaara elected as the new Kazekage, he's likely to accomplish even more internationally.

"This blows, Kakashi-sensei. I've been working on this damn treaty for months, and now Danzo is going to throw a tantrum over a change in _syntax_ and it's not going to pass."

"Hey," Kakashi says with a chuckle. "You're doing well."

"Uuugh," Naruto groans, and tilts over sideways against Kakashi's shoulder. Kakashi automatically puts a hand on Naruto's head, ruffling lightly. "I hate the Senior Council, Kakashi-sensei."

The Nidaime laughs. "I hated my Senior Council too."

"The price of our Republic," Sarutobi says with a long-suffering sigh. He continues pensively, "Although, Danzo has become especially antagonistic in recent years. I'm not sure why, but perhaps—"

"Well," Hinata says causally, gathering files into her arms. "I might coincidentally end up sitting in the same room and coincidentally overhear the proceedings." She gives Naruto a small smile. "My great uncle likes me at hand for these meetings sometimes. He says it's good training for the next Hyuga Clan's leader."

Naruto grins. "I love you," he gushes. "There are no limits to my love for you right now."

"Yes, well," Hinata says, and she blushes only slightly. "You're welcome." This is not the same girl that Sasuke knew before he left Konoha. That Hinata had been a blushing, stammering girl who'd been completely unable to string together a coherent sentence in Naruto's presence.

By the time Sasuke returned, though, something had changed. She's Hyuga Hinata now, next in line for the Hyuga Clan. And apparently, she can hold her own in front of the Hokage and the Commander of the Joint Forces. Sasuke has seen her on occasion, when she visits her father at work, and although there is an unwritten rule in ANBU that no man should ever, ever even look at Hinata, he can't help but stare.

She's lovely, pale smooth skin, a wonderful curve to her hips—and the last man who made a comment about her spent the rest of the month doing missions that somehow always involved the sewer system. The last time Neji overheard a chuunin make a crude comment about his cousin, the man showed up in the E.R. with the chakra pathways to his testicles blocked off. It eventually wore off, but people got the message. Now, Sasuke moves his gaze away quickly before he's caught. How Kiba landed a woman like that is a mystery, but they both seem happy.

"All right, the two of you, get out," Tsunade orders, pointing at Shizune and Hinata. "You," she snaps, jabbing a finger at Naruto. "Sit still and keep your mouth shut. Commander, I want you to stay out of this until I say so. And ANBU—" Tsunade finally looks at him. "Take a seat."

Sasuke sits across from Tsunade, sparing a brief glance at Kakashi as Shizune and Hinata file out of the room. There isn't much time between the door closing and Tsunade throwing a file towards him. "Kobarashi Isamu. Start talking."

Sasuke gives her a blank stare. "The file is right there, Hokage-sama."

"Boy," the Shodaime warns. "She is your Hokage, and you will treat her with the respect she deserves."

_She is a healer who refuses to heal_, Sasuke wants to point out, but there is a time and place for conversing with ghosts. This is not one of them. Tsunade sits down from across Sasuke and takes a breath. "I have neither the time nor the patience to deal with you right now, Uchiha."

"Good," Sasuke says easily, and gets to his feet. "If that's—"

"Sit _down_," the Nidaime snarls, and the viciousness of his command makes Sasuke's Sharingan swirl into life. He glances at the man, startled. "You will conduct yourself like an adult instead of an overgrown _toddler_. God help me—"

"The Uchiha Clan," the Shodaime interrupts calmly. "Was once known for their honor, integrity and their decency. Your ancestors were a great people, respected across the nation. Do not expect to regain the respect they once had without showing some respect in return, boy."

"—_listening_, ANBU?"

Sasuke blinks at Tsunade. He wants to say something rude, walk away from this woman who has never, not once in her life, extended even the most basic of courtesies towards him. He's always blamed her for their relationship, held her in contempt for refusing to treat him time and again. But the Shodaime said that he can't expect to gain any respect—any courtesy—if he doesn't return the favor. And he is an Uchiha, it's who he is, what his entire life has been built around. He clearly remembers people standing aside when his grandmother walked down the street, entire rooms falling quiet when his grandfather spoke.

Sasuke has dragged the Uchiha name through the mud, associated it with words like _traitor_ and _monster_. He will not keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

So, "Yes, ma'am." Then, he sits.

Tsunade looks taken aback. She snaps her mouth shut, and then says slowly. "I won't ask again. Kobarashi Isamu. What do you know?"

Sasuke's Sharingan flickers to life, and he gives the Shodaime a sidelong glance. The man's face is carefully neutral, but Sasuke knows that the man is waiting to see what he does. _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine._ Sasuke takes a breath, swallows on the instinct to lash out at the woman in front of him. _Ten_. "I only know what's in his file." A beat. "Ma'am."

"You ordered your men to keep a tight lid on this investigation," Tsunade presses. "Which was unauthorized in the first place. Your duty as ANBU is to report your findings, however illegal, to your commanding officer—"

"My duties as ANBU are to serve in the country's best interest," Sasuke interrupts neatly. "Which I've done." Tsunade makes a face at him. For a woman who can have his face in the dirt with her eyes closed and both hands tied behind her back, she is surprisingly ignorant about some things, Sasuke thinks.

"If I had reported my findings to the Captain, then what would have happened?" Sasuke prompts. Tsunade's eyes narrow dangerously, so he answers his own question. "The Captain would have reported to the Commander and to you," Sasuke finishes.

Tsunade begins to tap impatiently on her table. Her long, lacquered nails making a clicking noise, impatient and entirely unimpressed by Sasuke's line of thought. "Keep going," the Nidaime says into the sudden silence.

"Then," Sasuke continues, leaning forward to tap the file. "You would have gotten this on your desk. And your reaction would be to drag me into this room." Sasuke makes an open-armed gesture. "Here I am."

"Okay. You're getting cocky again," the Nidaime grumbles.

Sasuke glances briefly at the Nidaime, but continues. He'll be respectful, sure. Doesn't mean he has to be polite about it. "You'd yell at me, you'd throw me off the case, you might even suspend me from my duties for so blatantly disregarding ANBU protocol. I couldn't give a rat's flying ass about any of that."

"Well," Sarutobi says into the ensuing silence. "That's…blunt."

Sasuke ignores him in favor of finishing his line of thought. "What I care about is what you do next. You'll probably have S.C.I. and Special Jounin look into it. I'm guessing by the time I walk out the door, you'll have issued orders to a two-man team to check out Kobarashi, his known associates, and maybe scope out Akatsuki's whereabouts while they're at it." Sasuke cocks his head a fraction.

Tsunade angles her head just so, and her tapping comes to a halt. "Are you telling me how to do my job, ANBU, or is there a point to this?" Tsunade asks evenly.

"I'm telling you," Sasuke snaps, leaning forward in his impatience now, "You would be putting Naruto in danger by making all the wrong decisions—"

"That's interesting to hear, Uchiha, especially coming from you." Sasuke feels his anger leave him in a rush. The hypocrisy of it must be a sight to see from the other side of this conversation: The man who tried to kill Naruto now lecturing a Hokage on how to protect him. "You acted irresponsibly, without any thought to Naruto's safety or the safety of this village—"

"Uchiha," the Yondaime says, appearing suddenly by Sasuke's side. "I don't know what you've done to my boy. I don't know what happened between you two, but I do know that at this moment, right this instant, everything you've been doing up to this point has been in my son's best interest."

Sasuke has practiced in his mind several versions of confessing his guilt to the Yondaime:_ I tried to kill your son_, and _I put my hand through his chest because I was that blind_, and _I almost ruined the one good thing in my life because of my greed_. He's not sure how the Yondaime would react, but at times like this, Sasuke wonders if the man would forgive him. Naruto has, so why not the Yondaime?

"Your decision to keep the investigation a secret was correct," the Shodaime instructs. "You need to convince your Hokage of this. She doesn't see the point you are trying to make, so try again."

"You do your job," Sasuke says finally, and interrupts Tsunade mid-sentence. "And Akatsuki _will_ find out. The minute they do, they will make their move. They're recruiting warm bodies for some grand-scale attack because they like the theatrics of it. But if you interrupt them, they will not hesitate to come after Naruto. It will be silent, it will be quick, and it will be effective, so—"

"So you secretly issued an investigation, because out of everyone in Konoha, _you_ are the only one capable of stopping them?" Tsunade demands. "How the _hell_ am I supposed to trust you with Naruto's life, ANBU? Time and again—"

"What _army_ do you have?" Sasuke snarls, getting to his feet, Sharingan whirling painfully now. "What army of yours can protect him against all of Akatsuki's forces? They infiltrated Konoha once before, and they weren't even trying, Senju."

"This isn't some romantic movie for you to play out," Tsunade counters, and she gets to her feet as well. "You can't win my boy's heart by heroically defending him from—"

"You expect me to come out of this damn thing alive? You expect _anyone_ who goes into this to come out of it alive? Why do you think I was trying to do it solo?" Sasuke throws up his hands in frustration, giving Tsunade an incredulous look. There is no prize at the end of this mission, Sasuke knows. There is nothing here but an ending, not even the promise of Itachi's death and his clan's vengeance. "I wasn't going to throw shinobi at Akatsuki for target practice. Are you out of your _mind_?"

Tsunade rolls up her sleeves. "All right, that's it, you piece of shit." She takes two steps around her table and in the next second, she's in Sasuke's space. "Get out."

"No," Sasuke answers automatically. "You set your hounds on Akatsuki and Naruto will be beyond our reach by the end of this month. I won't let them take him, not a second time, not while I'm alive—"

"Get _out_, ANBU. That's an order."

Sasuke runs a hand through his hair. "For fuck's sake, how stupid are you?" He stops the minute he says it, because now at least, he knows he has crossed the line. Chakra sizzles off Tsunade's frame, her hair standing on edge with the electricity of it.

"Hold your ground, don't attack her back," the Shodaime orders quickly, and it takes all of Sasuke's will to obey that order. His Sharingan comes to life, and he sees her hand flex back to punch him, a whorl of chakra gathering around her knuckles. He doesn't dodge, doesn't even bring his hands up, just shifts his legs to spread his weight evenly.

The attack snaps his head sideways, and he sees black for a few seconds, even though the rest of his body stays at attention. There is a sharp, ringing noise in his ears, and beyond it, distant voices. When his vision clears, he's surprised to find himself still standing. The entire lower half of his face is in pain, and he can feel blood dripping down his nose. There's a tangy taste in his mouth, and something wet dripping down his chin.

He takes a breath and turns to face Tsunade again. She looks surprised, staring at Sasuke with wide eyes. "_Defend_, child," she breathes, reaching out to touch Sasuke's face lightly. "How are you _standing_ still?"

Sasuke blinks and sees black again. "With—with great effort," he manages finally, and blood drips down his chin even more.

Tsunade's lips twitch into a smile despite herself. She is quite for a moment, and then, "Your investigation, ANBU?"

"Under progress," Sasuke answers, breathing carefully. He's pretty sure she broke most of the bones in his body with that punch. He's not even sure if a move like that should be legal against human beings, maybe restricted to large rocks or walls. "I'm trying to—to—" A breath. _Short sentences, Uchiha._ "Location."

Tsunade folds her arms across her chest. "Like teacher, like student, they say."

"Actually," Kakashi interrupts cheerfully. "I would have defended against that."

Sasuke opens his mouth to say something, but there's a rush of blood in his ears, and the next thing he knows, there's darkness.

* * *

He wakes up with a thin wad of gauze pad between his teeth. The ghosts are in the room with him having a conversation of some sort. Mostly, though, it's the Yondaime yelling at Naruto to _get_ _away_—

Naruto is tucked close to Sasuke, warm and solid by his side. He's stretched out on the hospital bed next to Sasuke, a book spread out in his lap. "They should have a room for you," Naruto says by way of hello. "The Uchiha Room, reserved and always open for your constant and recurring hospital needs."

Sasuke spits out the cotton in his mouth and then spends a few moments recovering from the effort. Almost immediately, he tastes the tang of blood in his mouth. So that's what the cotton was for—so he wouldn't keep swallowing his own blood. He can't move, can't even breathe without feeling something pull or tug in his body. Tsunade is a force to reckon with, Sasuke knows, but he's never understood what that meant. One punch, and he can barely move.

How Orochimaru ever thought he stood a chance against this woman was a mystery.

"Although," Naruto goes on, shutting his book with a snap. He shifts so he can face Sasuke. "Although," he repeats, voice pitched low and gentle. "That was quite brave of you. I've never seen anyone stand their ground against her like that." He pauses a moment and wrinkles his nose in distaste. "Shizune thinks it proves your stupidity."

Sasuke blinks stupidly at Naruto. He's not sure he can speak just yet. It's odd for him to be this floored after an attack, which can only mean—"Drugs," he groans out, and sure enough, there's an I.V. dripping into his arm.

"Sakura's got you on the good stuff," Naruto says with a grin, and reaches over Sasuke. Any closer and drugs be damned, Sasuke is pretty sure the hospital sheets will start to tent at his waist. There's a soft click as Naruto adjusts the I.V. drip. "That was a chakra-powered punch, and you don't want to be awake for the next two hours. Trust me."

Sasuke tries to say, No and Get that fucking thing out of my arm, but all that comes out is, "Ungh."

"Oi, bastard, listen to me," Naruto goes on, putting a hand lightly against Sasuke's chest. "I know you don't like to be drugged like this, but the pain's only going to get worse."

"Nnn—" Sasuke begins, but the drugs are starting to kick in. He takes a few deep, ragged breaths. He doesn't like this, doesn't want to be pulled under by drugs, oblivious to the entire world. He reaches for the I.V., but the most he can manage is a twitch of his wrist.

"She thought you were going to defend, so she didn't hold back at all," Naruto goes on. "She broke your jaw, your nose, and the scan picked up a few micro-fractures in your skull. You strained the muscles in your neck and back with the backlash. Tsunade healed you herself, so there won't be any lasting damage. But the pain is going to be unbearable for the next few hours. I know you'd rather take the pain over the drugs, but—"

"Yesshng," Sasuke hisses out. "Yes—"

"But not this time," Naruto insists. "Tsunade's attacks aren't ordinary, so not this time, okay?"

Sasuke can feel his fingers getting numb from the drugs, and he takes a few heaving breaths to stay awake. "I'll be here," Naruto promises him softly, putting a hand on Sasuke's cheek gently.

Sasuke blinks a few times, letting his Sharingan swirl into life. The ghosts are hovering at the periphery of the room; even the Yondaime is silent for now. "Nnn," Sasuke manages, lifting his head from the pillow lightly.

"Kid, it's just a few hours," the Nidaime says. Sarutobi steps forward, looking like he wants to add something, but Sasuke shakes his head, tries to say again—"Nnnn." He takes a breath. "Nnno. No."

"I'll be right here," Naruto whispers, and moves even closer. He presses his forehead against Sasuke's. "It's only for a few hours, until the worst passes. I'll be right here."

He can feel the numbness setting in, the paralysis setting in from the waist down. The terrifying part—the most terrifying thing—is that he can't keep his Sharingan alive. It keeps sputtering in and out as the drugs spread into his bloodstream. It makes him panic, makes his heart speed up, makes his palms sweat. _The Sharingan should always be under control,_ Kakashi told him once. _Always under your control, don't ever, ever_—

Vaguely, Sasuke feels the pressure of Naruto's fingers on his, and then he sees Naruto bringing up his hand. "I'll be right here, Sasuke," Naruto repeats, pressing Sasuke's hand against his cheek. Distantly, Sasuke can feel Naruto's scars against his palm. "Don't make me watch you go through this, you bastard. I can't watch you go through this. Please."

There are very few things that Naruto asks of him. He asks for ramen, his friendship, and Sasuke's promise that he will never, ever leave Konoha and break his heart and trust again. This is the first of this kind of request, and Sasuke has been a bit weak against Naruto's requests ever since getting back to Konoha. So Sasuke takes a breath, another, gathers his strength and manages, "Ffff—fine."

The smile he's awarded with makes it worthwhile, he thinks, because Naruto doesn't smile like that at him very often. Naruto lets go of Sasuke's hand and reaches over to the I.V. again. There's another click, a third, and a fourth. "Give it a few seconds," Naruto says, turning his attention back to Sasuke.

The panic begins to set in again, his breathing coming out irregularly. A few hours under some drug-induced haze, and nothing—absolutely nothing—to keep him awake. It is worse than sleeping, because at least he can wake up from sleep. This is absolute paralysis. He will be helpless, he can't even keep his goddamn eyes open—"Watch me," Naruto says, holding Sasuke's face in his hands. "Watch me. I'm here."

The door to the room opens with a soft click, and he hears footsteps. But the sounds are muted and dull. Sakura's voice, "Is he…yet?"

"Almost," Naruto says, still not moving his gaze away. "You stubborn idiot," he mutters, and he presses their foreheads together again. "Close your eyes."

Sasuke closes his eyes, feels his mind's focus whittling down to Naruto's hand on his chest, and Naruto's breath on his cheek. "I'll be here," Naruto whispers. "Right…so bad…later…"

There's a moment, and then, a soft press to his forehead, his cheek, the other cheek.

Then the corner of his lips, lingering and sweet.

Distantly, Sasuke can hear the Yondaime's voice, loud and jarring, "What—_Naruto_—_oh my God, what_—"

_End of Part Five._


	6. Six: Unit 3

**Author's Note: **This story is berserk. No, really. Thank you for your patience. It took a bit to format the chapter for FF. You can view it all on my website, where the formatting isn't so atrocious. And of course, this is for Carolyn-who beta-ed all these monster chapters and keeps me going with her cookies!

* * *

**In Good Company  
**_Six: Unit 3_

Ehime Taro is only three years older than Sasuke, but he's ten times as crude and entire magnitudes more fire friendly than any Uchiha that Sasuke has ever met. The man is an explosions expert, Jiro explains during their meeting. Give him some C4—heck, give him a flint—and the man can make the sky light up.

"My friends call me Tottori," Taro says by way of hello, gripping Sasuke's hand hard. He's a brunet with a disarming smile and an easy laugh. Sasuke feels himself returning the shake and saying, "Uchiha—"

"Uchiha fucking Sasuke, I know," Tottori interrupts enthusiastically. "Dude, you and me? We're a match made in fucking heaven, man. I'll provide the explosives, you provide the spark, and boom. The rest, as they say, is history." Sasuke doesn't doubt the man, because according to his file, he's had quite the record with Special Jounin, S.C.I. and ANBU already at the ripe age of nineteen.

The rest of Jiro's team is just as impressive. Jiro is a weapons and traps specialist, on par with Tenten, according to Neji. He is the oldest in the group at twenty-two, and the most experienced ANBU. The others are all new to the force, and Sasuke is youngest (sixteen, a year and a half younger than anyone else in his graduating class from the Academy), and the newest to the ranks. He is also the only one—apparently in all of ANBU history—to go directly from genin to ANBU C.O. Sasuke winces at this bit of information._ Like the blind leading the blind_, he realizes. Jiro, by all accounts, should have been C.O. of the new Unit 3. But for some reason, Hiashi has singled him out.

Sasuke's new unit also includes an asset that Sasuke had been wanting for some time now: Illusions experts. Aichi Kenshin—"You can call me Ken," only twenty-one—is a linguist, fluent in seven languages, and apparently has the finest henge no jutsu in the entire eastern seaboard. He's been embedded in deep covers for the past four years. But he'd gotten sick of the spy's life and returned to ANBU. According to the records, he didn't even have to take the ANBU exam. Hiashi rolled out the red carpet for the man to join. In Jiro's team, he had been second-in-command.

And of course, there's Lee and Chouji, two of ANBU's freshest recruits. They were transferred out of Jounin Ranks two weeks ago, Jiro explains, not because they requested it, but because Hiashi and Shikaku put in the joint orders. It's not surprising, because putting Lee and Chouji in the same team as Shikamaru and Neji will be an advantage on the field. The men have many years of experience working together, so placing them in the same ANBU unit is ideal.

"Neji! We are united again as comrades!" Lee says in greeting, grinning wildly. Neji does not say anything, but there is a slight twitch of his lips when Lee throws an arm around Neji's shoulder casually. "Let's train later."

"We trained this morning, Lee," Chouji grumbles. He's already made himself comfortable next to Shikamaru, and almost absentmindedly holds out the bag of chips he's devouring steadily. Shikamaru takes up on Chouji's offer and begins munching on some chips as well.

"So that's all of us," Jiro says. "Gentlemen, this is Uchiha Sasuke, your commanding officer."

"And this is Hyuga Neji," Sasuke introduces, gesturing at the man. "He's your second." Neji looks surprised at the introduction, but the choice was easy to make for Sasuke. There is no reason to make Jiro his second just because Neji and Sasuke have a history of antagonism. Hyuga is _good_, one of the most efficient, professional ninja that Sasuke has ever seen on the field. Letting emotions get in the way of this choice would be stupid—and besides, Sasuke thinks Neji and Naruto are not dating, so there really isn't any reason to hold a grudge against the man.

Apparently, Neji wasn't even gay.

The new members shake Neji's hand, Tottori with an enthusiastic, "Two fucking dojutsus in a team. Niice."

"There's three other blood lines as well. The Nara, Inuzuka and Aburame families are all represented," Neji corrects. "I'll introduce you to them."

Neji glances towards Sasuke for the final okay, and he nods. They file out, but Jiro lingers for a moment after they leave. "Sir," he begins, and then clears his throat. "I just wanted to say that the best man got the job. It'll be a privilege to work with you."

Sasuke nods, unsure of how to respond to something like this. "Likewise."

"Sir," Jiro salutes, and then the door closes shut after him. Sasuke breathes out into the silence of his office. He moved in earlier that day, grumbling the entire time about the absolute _waste_ of resources it is giving ANBU C.O.s an office of their own. But now, he understands the need for a space to himself. It's nine men now, all under his control, and the missions they get will be harder, tougher, and bloodier.

"It'll take time," the Nidaime says from somewhere in the room, and Sasuke curses his surprise.

"The _fuck_, Nidaime, a little warning," Sasuke grumbles and lets his Sharingan swirl into life. The man is lounging against the far wall.

"It'll take time," he repeats. "Your Captain will build up your missions. Tonight's job is just patrol."

Sasuke shrugs, sitting in his chair carefully. The damn desk even has a plaque with his name on it, UCHIHA SASUKE, COMMANDING OFFICER, UNIT 3. There is no pride with this title though, just the apprehension of being responsible for these men.

"Something's wrong," the Nidaime says as he takes in the expression on Sasuke's face, and he appears across the table from him.

Sasuke shakes his head and flips open a folder. It's Jiro's, describing in detail the extent of his abilities. The man has a better track record than Sasuke—certainly no charges of treason—and not a single life has been lost in his name. "He should be C.O.," Sasuke says finally, glancing up at the Nidaime. He feels ashamed for admitting this, but these are his thoughts, and if he can't share them with a ghost, then who else?

"Iwate Jiro," the Nidaime reads. He leans forward to catch Sasuke's gaze. "You think he should have been made C.O. Why?"

Sasuke pushes Jiro's folder towards the Nidaime. He doesn't have access to his own folder, but he knows what it must read like: Traitor; incapable of following orders; one man injured on a routine mission already; and a fucking expiration date with Itachi's name next to it. Side-by-side, Jiro's folder must outshine his by several leagues. Whatever possessed Hiashi to promote him over Jiro, it is a mistake. "And you think," the Nidaime says slowly after reading the folder, "That he is a better man for this job than you."

Sasuke feels his face flush. Kakashi has taught him never to doubt himself, but his entire life has been whittled down to a series of doubts: _Can I kill Itachi? Can I escape Orochimaru? Will I ever be forgiven? Is there a special place in Hell reserved for trash like me?_ And now, it's: _Can I protect Naruto?_

"I can't change how you think," the Nidaime says finally. He stands up, tugging the Hokage robes firmly over his shoulders. "But I can tell you this. If I had been your Captain, if I had been your Commander, or your Hokage, I would have appointed you to this job. Look at me, boy."

Sasuke drags his eyes away from Jiro's folder and meets the Nidaime's gaze. "I would not hesitate," the Nidaime goes on. "Not to make you a commanding officer, and not to place my life in your hands. Am I clear?"

Sasuke sometimes forgets that these ghosts—the men who watch him stumble out of bed, badger him into eating healthier breakfasts, and comment on the state of his sex life without much hesitation—are Hokages. He forgets that they are the same men in history textbooks, the four greatest ninja that Konoha ever produced, the finest warriors on the Continent.

"Am I clear?" the Nidaime repeats again, stern, and Sasuke is reminded of this man's legend.

"Yes," he says finally, and gets up to meet the rest of his unit.

"Yes, what?" the Nidaime barks.

"Yes, sir," Sasuke says, and this time, the Nidaime smiles.

* * *

Yuuta makes his second report towards the end of their patrol. He appears suddenly just as the Unit is wrapping up for the night in the watch tower, logging anything they've seen or noticed. In the relatively small room, he gets lost in a flurry of feet.

"What is this?" Yuuta hisses, slithering towards Sasuke.

Chouji is the first to notice the snake, and he does so with a loud, "_Holy_—" Two kunais fly towards Yuuta in the next instant, and then another three as Jiro reacts.

Yuuta dodges all of them easily enough—Jiro doesn't have enough room to let his weapons fly—and slides up Sasuke's leg with an easy slither. He coils around Sasuke's bicep, hissing angrily at the others in the room. "Stand down. He's my snake," Sasuke orders, turning back to his paperwork.

Patrols like these are mostly tedious, a waste of time in Sasuke's opinion, but it is the best way for a new team to get familiar with each other. It takes a few moments, but eventually the men get back to logging their hours. "Fucking hell," Ken mutters, giving Sasuke a wide berth. Akamaru considers Yuuta for a few long minutes, tail wagging, before returning to Kiba's side.

"They're moving west," Yuuta begins without prompt, slightly hurried. "There are several high-level nin. They gather at a place filled with women and fornicate, but they conduct their affairs away from the village."

"A whorehouse," Sasuke mutters. Orochimaru liked to gather with his men in whorehouses as well. It was the perfect field trip for the men: A chance to get work done and fuck all wrapped in one. It's comforting, almost, to see that Akatsuki operates just like any other outlaw group.

"A what?" Yuuta snaps, impatient.

"A whorehouse, a brothel," Sasuke clarifies. "It's where men gather with women to fuck."

"There was a lot of that, yes," Yuuta says, unimpressed.

Sasuke chuckles. "You _watch_, Yuuta?"

Yuuta's bite is fast and almost painless against his neck. "You want your report or not?"

Sasuke ignores the sting on his neck, angling his head away from the snake. "Yeah."

"I sensed Kin-Butcher and another one of your blood," Yuuta hisses, and this time, Sasuke freezes. This is not one of Yuuta's usual reports. Something is worrying the snake, enough for him to act out like this. "This other one, he is ancient, much older than the others. He is your blood—"

"There is no one but me and Kin-Butcher," Sasuke interrupts sternly. "You were mistaken."

"I wasn't mistaken," Yuuta snarls, and he sounds unearthly in the quiet of the Tower room. "There is another of your blood."

There is no one, Sasuke knows, because he checked himself. After Itachi, he checked, counted the bodies and lined up each mangled form with a name. There were twenty-three of them that day; eleven Sharingan users, and their families. There is no one else, Sasuke knows, because he feels the solitude of his existence pressing heavily onto his shoulders each day. With every breathing moment he feels the loss acutely.

Yuuta must have sensed his doubt because he insists, "I don't make mistakes, boy. I know your chakra, and your blood. I sensed another of your kind."

Sasuke can either trust Yuuta's instincts or dismiss them. He settles for a neutral, "Anything else?"

"The ancient one, he sensed me, I think."

"No one can sense you, Yuuta," Sasuke mutters. Yuuta stays silent at this, and it is only now that Sasuke notices just how loosely the snake has coiled around his arm. It's been a week now, not as long as some of his other missions, but something has clearly drained Yuuta this time. Sasuke reaches over to grab the snake, and almost immediately, Yuuta starts to snarl. It's a guttural hissing noise, the kind that makes someone's hair stand on end. Nothing human, certainly nothing normal, but Sasuke has gotten used to these sounds. He's heard Rin at her most dangerous—Yuuta's bitching is not nearly as intimidating.

Akamaru begins to whimper slightly, coming up to hover anxiously by Sasuke's feet. "Fuck, man," Tottori mutters.

Sasuke begins to uncoil Yuuta from his wrist when the snake bites, sinking both fangs into his hand. There is a slight tingle from the poison, but Sasuke ignores it in favor of examining Yuuta's scales. Neji draws in a sharp breath. "Uchiha—"

"In a minute, Hyuga," Sasuke says, and Neji falls silent. There is dried blood and dirt caked along the snake's underbelly. Satisfied, Sasuke lets go of Yuuta. The snake coils around Sasuke's wrist, squeezing hard enough now for the bones in Sasuke's arm to start hurting. This isn't out of hostility, Sasuke knows. This is just how his snakes react. "Rest, Yuuta," Sasuke orders, and the snake drops to the floor with a small thud.

Akamaru backs away with a loud bark. Yuuta doesn't vanish immediately though, just stares up at Sasuke, his eyes hard. "I don't make mistakes, boy," he insists.

_I know_, Sasuke communicates forcefully. Yuuta is a meticulous spy, and his information has always been better than any human intelligence. This ninja that Yuuta sensed could be anybody, and it will require Sasuke to personally look into it. But as promised, Yuuta has finished his mission: Sasuke knows where Akatsuki is, and he also knows which way they're headed.

"You trust me," Yuuta demands, and that is the closest the snake will ever come to asking that question.

Sasuke crouches by the snake and takes a breath to answer. He still remembers the first time he saw Yuuta, how he had stupidly held out a hand carefully to lure the snake closer. Yuuta bit him then, latched on with all his force and drew blood. _I'm no dog, human_, Yuuta had spit viciously. _What do you want?_

Yuuta's first mission had been to spy on Orochimaru, memorize his schedule and report back to Sasuke. Yuuta's intelligence had helped Sasuke kill Orochimaru and eventually escape the Village of Sound. Out of all the others, Yuuta was the first snake that Sasuke trusted, the first and last he always relies on for help. Nothing—not even a supposed sighting of a third Uchiha—can shake this.

"As you trust me," Sasuke hisses carefully.

The snake angles his head a fraction. And just like that, he's gone.

* * *

Shikamaru puts two and two together even before Sasuke returns to his office. "You have information," Shikamaru says in lieu of hello. He steps neatly out of the shadows, and this time, even the ghosts startle.

"He's good," the Nidaime mutters, clutching at his chest and breathing heavily. The ghosts had been waiting for him at the end of patrol, eager to hear news of how the new unit was functioning. Apparently, the Nidaime had shared Sasuke's apprehensions with the others, and they were all waiting to offer their support. It made something warm in Sasuke's chest to see them all vouching for him, but the moment was short-lived. "Yuuta came back with a report," Sasuke had told them in a low voice, and the ghosts had fallen silent.

"How did he find out?" the Yondaime demands now, looking irked. "Uchiha, can't you keep a secret to yourself?"

"What makes you think I have information?" Sasuke asks politely and steps around Shikamaru to get to his desk. Tomorrow, Hiashi will be expecting a report on Unit 3's integration and progress. Usually, Neji does all the paperwork. The man is a perfectionist and he has no patience for Sasuke's two-line reports and utter disregard for protocol. Today is no different. As always, Neji and Sasuke will spend the time after missions getting through paperwork and figuring out the nuances of keeping the team cohesive.

"You know, I never understood how you collected your intelligence," Shikamaru says. "None of my sources knew anyone who talked to you, and as far as I know, you've cut all contact with the Land of Rice Fields—you mind if I smoke?"

"No," Sasuke says, and when Shikamaru holds out the pack, Sasuke takes one himself. Sasuke ignores the ghosts' protests as he lights up (_Tobacco kills_, Sarutobi says seriously. Sasuke refrains from pointing out the very obvious fact that he will die long before lung cancer ever gets to him).

Shikamaru settles across from Sasuke with a yawn. "But I noticed today that your snake summoned itself. Appeared right out of thin air, and you know what else? Your chakra level didn't even budge. Not one bit. So it got me thinking."

The man falls entirely silent and stares at Sasuke with a blank expression. "This man..." the Shodaime says in the ensuing silence.

"Nara Shikamaru," Sarutobi supplements. He pauses a beat and says, voice soft, "It's a joy to see him again. I used to play shogi with him sometimes. The boy would skip his classes sometimes because he got bored, and his mother came to me to ask for help. So I'd spend some time with the boy, talk to him, and—"

Shikamaru sits forward a bit. "Your sources are your snakes. Although I haven't figured out how you can extend your chakra across the country." He takes a deep drag of his cigarette and blows it out carefully. "But then again, you don't use your chakra for your snakes, do you? They're bound to you by some other oath, not chakra, but something else."

Sarutobi chuckles. "He was always a bright boy."

Sasuke rubs at the line of his jaw. He can deny it, but this is Nara Shikamaru, and he'll figure it out eventually. "There a point to this?"

Shikamaru grins at this, and it is the first time Sasuke has seen the expression on the man's face. Sasuke can't help the twitch of his lips at the sight. He doesn't have to worry about Shikamaru sharing this information, the man would go to his grave with it. It is just nice, after all these years, to be able to share this with someone else. Even Kakashi doesn't know, because he operates under the firm belief that the relationship between a man and his animal spirits is private.

"So how are they bound to you?" Shikamaru presses, angling his head to the side.

Sasuke knows that there is a blood oath, but all animals have that with their humans. The blood binds their loyalty, and the chakra binds their subservience. He has both of these, but there is something else that lets him communicate with them in their tongue, share his thoughts with them without ever speaking, and to summon them from thousands of miles away without performing a single seal. They know him, his snakes, know the beat of his heart, the thrum of his chakra, and each and every single feeling of shame and doubt that Sasuke carries on his shoulders. This is not just a blood and chakra bind, and he's not sure he can ever explain it to another human being. So he settles for a shrug.

"You don't know," Shikamaru breathes in realization, sitting back. "You've got to be—"

There's a quick knock on the door before it opens and Neji breezes in. He stops at the door, spotting Shikamaru. "Is something going on?"

Shikamaru cranes his neck and watches Neji for a few moments. Neji stares right back, but then, it begins to get uncomfortable. "Okay," the Nidaime says carefully. "Is there something about these two that we need to know, or are they—"

"Uchiha here has information on Akatsuki," Shikamaru says finally, sounding like his usual bored self. Sasuke turns to stare at Shikamaru, a dozen different reprimands on the tip of his tongue (_What the fuck do you think you're doing, Nara_ and _This is classified_ and _I never gave you permission to share this information_). But the ghosts step in neatly. "You'll need Hyuga," the Shodaime counsels, voice pitched low and speaking fast. "He's loyal to Naruto, and he is your second. Your snakes will not be enough. You will need manpower for this mission, you know this."

Neji sits down very carefully in his seat. He seems composed, but his eyes are an icy blue. The nerves around his eyes have spidered out (whoever said that the Sharingan was a freaky dojutsu, Sasuke realizes, must not have seen the Byakugan). "What do you know?" Neji asks finally.

Sasuke lets his Sharingan come to life and glances at the Hokages. The Shodaime is right, but just because he needs manpower doesn't mean he has the right to drag these men into a mission that will most likely end up bloody for everyone involved. "Well?" the Yondaime presses, sounding hopeful. "What will you—"

Sasuke points to the door. "The two of you can walk out of this room if you'd like."

The Yondaime interrupts again. "You need more manpower, Uchiha. You can't do this alone—"

Neji answers first. "You're not the only one who cares about Naruto, Uchiha. If you think—"

"I am giving you the option to walk away from this," Sasuke interrupts again.

Neji sneers, the expression making his usually handsome face ugly. "I am not a coward, Uchiha."

"I am giving you the option to walk away because you have families and friends in Konoha. Not because you're cowards," Sasuke explains, and it takes all his will not to raise his voice. They don't understand, can't see this situation for what it is. Naruto is their friend, true, but they have mothers, fathers, sisters, girlfriends and teammates who depend on them to return at the end of each mission. The value of a ninja is not just a sum of his mastery of ninjutsu and taijutsu—if that were the case, Sasuke would be one of the more valuable fighters in the village. But Sasuke has learned over the years that the value of a ninja is measured by those around him. Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba and the others, they are all valuable, far more valuable than Sasuke ever was or ever will be.

Priceless, by comparison. So Sasuke adds, " If you oppose Akatsuki, they will come after you and everything you hold dear. Take twenty-four hours to think it over. Now, get out."

"I will not—"

Sasuke levels a stare at Neji, and he stops short. Shikamaru gets to his feet. "Sir," he says, and turns towards the door. Neji lingers for a few moments longer, but mimics Shikamaru. They leave with a soft click of the door.

Sasuke takes another long drag of his cigarette in the silence that follows. He picked up smoking in the Village of Sound to blend in with the others. It was an advantage to be able to smoke with the other men and be included in the gossip and information that was shared during those moments. Underground, with little to no ventilation, the entire village had smelled like tobacco. Sasuke had assumed that once he left the village, that after he escaped Orochimaru, he would stop smoking.

But.

There's a comfort in familiar motions. The first cigarette is done—it's not even his brand of choice. Sasuke shifts in his seat, reaches into his back pocket, pulls out a pack and taps out another cigarette. He lights it carefully, lets the embers pick up just so, and breathes in deep.

In all likelihood, both Neji and Shikamaru will return, willing to lay down their lives. But they deserve the chance to change their minds. Maybe some time with their families will give them pause to think, but twenty-four hours from now, Sasuke is willing to bet that both Neji and Shikamaru will be in his office.

Konoha isn't in the habit of raising cowards, Sasuke knows. Except one, of course—_and what a coward I am_, Sasuke thinks.

When, finally, he lets his Sharingan flare back to life, the ghosts are nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The ghosts ask questions while Sasuke gathers some cleaning tools, but they fall silent once Sasuke reaches the shrine at the edge of the Naka River. It's across the river from a neighborhood of houses, built on the land that Sasuke's forefathers once owned. He couldn't afford the taxes to maintain the clan's compound, so he was forced to sell and watch as they razed the buildings to the ground. Now, there is a gated community with cookie-cutter houses. The only thing remaining is the Uchiha Clan's shrine, left in peace because even real estate agents know not to dishonor the dead.

The shrine is a small building, a little bigger than Sasuke's living room, but with a sloping roof and brick-red walls. It's set on a grassy hill overlooking the river below. Shisui's father, Uncle Kyoguku, once told Sasuke that the Uchiha Clan's earliest members practiced their art by the banks of the Naka, that the Naka's water tempered the Uchihas' fire. Sasuke walks through the gate—with two dragons etched in at the top—and up the steps, his cleaning supplies thrown over his shoulders.

The ghosts linger at the gate, hesitant. "You can come up if you'd like," Sasuke offers over his shoulder, trying to sound casual. This is not a personal visit. It is strictly business, and he does not need to get sentimental about this.

The Nidaime is the first to take Sasuke up on his offer, and passes through the gate. The others follow closely behind, giving Sasuke the space to push open the imposing double doors of the building. He doesn't take his shoes off although it is called for, just drops his backpack of cleaning supplies on the ground and gets to work.

Eventually, curiosity gets the better of the Nidaime. "What are you doing?" he asks mildly.

Sasuke looks up from his crouch by the bottom of a slab of stone. For all their pride, the Uchiha Clan's shrine is sparse, nothing at all like some of the other families' shrines. It is just a large slab of gabber stone, polished to an ink-deep shine, names of the dead etched into it.

He has a flashlight in his mouth so he can read the scroll he's holding up. Uchiha Kyoguku once told Sasuke that no name could ever be etched into this stone without the complete extinction of the user's chakra. An Uchiha must pass from this world to the next—his Sharingan must be cremated—before this stone will accept his name. The stone, according to legend, was carved from the mountains of the Great Dragons, long before ninja nations were ever born. The red-eyed dragons had chosen the Uchihas to share their secret with, and ever since, the Uchiha Clan has been its keeper.

It is a superstition, Sasuke knows, but no Uchiha with an activated Sharingan has ever had their name recorded on this stone without the absolute and utter certainty of his cremation.

"Sasuke," Sarutobi asks finally. He crouches by Sasuke, old face kind and open. "What is it, child?"

Sasuke rolls his eyes. He's never understood why everyone gets so sympathetic around him when it concerns his family. It is not their loss, not their grief, and none of their damn business. _An Uchiha carries his own burdens_, his father told him once, and Sasuke will. "Fffawing a leaaf," he mumbles around the flashlight. Sarutobi blinks at him, so Sasuke takes the flashlight out of his mouth and repeats, "Following a lead."

He lays out the scroll on the dusty floor. When he shines the flashlight on it this time, the ghosts gather around him to observe. It's a family tree, spanning generations and tracing all the way back to Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna. "There are ninety-six names on this stone," Sasuke explains and flashes his light in an arc over the slab-stone. It's standing up right, a foot from the back wall, and bracketed on both sides by oil lanterns. The lanterns hang from the ceiling, and according to tradition, they must be lit at all times.

It has been nearly a decade since the lamps were last lit, has been years since Sasuke last set foot in this place to face his ancestors. Sasuke points to the scroll again. "Of them, forty-two are Sharingan users. I need to verify that each one of their names are here."

The Shodaime gives him a look. "Why?"

"Yuuta came back with a report," Sasuke explains, rubbing his fingers together. This close, the ghosts make his breath come out in a mist. "He verified Akatsuki's location and said they were moving west." And that is enough information, Sasuke decides, so he leaves it at that.

The Nidaime sits down on the ground. He takes a deep breath and prompts, slowly, as if talking to a particularly stupid child, "And what about that report made you come out here in the middle of the night?"

Sasuke looks away from the ghosts and picks up a roll of paper towels. He rips of a couple of sheets, sprays on a generous amount of liquid soap and starts to wipe down the stone. He doesn't want to share this information with them, because this is personal, this is his family. The Yondaime prompts him with, "Uchiha."

But the Yondaime has a stake in this too. This is about his son, and the man deserves an explanation. "Yuuta sensed two Uchihas," Sasuke answers finally, not looking up at any of them. "My brother"—_Kin-Butcher_ they call him—"And another, more older one. I'm here to check."

"Is your snake sure?" the Nidaime demands, pressing forward. "How can it be sure?"

"Yuuta knows my chakra and my blood," Sasuke explains and goes back to cleaning the stone of its dirt. It's a tedious process, made all the more difficult by years of dirt that Sasuke has neglected.

The first year after the massacre, Sasuke felt the loss of each person acutely. Every moment, each breath he took, was in their absence. As the years passed though, the desperation matured. He started missing the smaller, quieter moments of their existence: The crinkle of the morning newspaper that his grandmother read at the table every day; the sounds of a kitchen full of his aunts and mother making dinner enough for twenty-three; the soft thuds of Shisui and Itachi training in the compound.

"This is our ancestral stone," Sasuke explains, more to distract himself in the silence than anything else. "My great-grandfather's father chiseled this stone out of the western mountains, back when the dragons were still alive. No Uchiha's name can be carved into this stone without his chakra being completely destroyed. The stone won't accept the name of a soul that has yet to pass on."

It sounds more ridiculous now that he's said it out loud. "I don't…I don't know how else to check Yuuta's information."

Sarutobi lays a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and this time, Sasuke is unable to suppress a shiver. "I'm sorry, Sasuke."

Sarutobi has been apologizing for Sasuke's past ever since Sasuke can remember. Sasuke doesn't understand why the man continues to apologize, because it isn't his fault. It's Itachi's. It's the Sharingan, it's their blood. Uchiha Madara, Sasuke's ancestor, was a traitor. What was the world expecting from Madara's heirs? Heroes?

"It's a lead," Sasuke insists. There is no need to make this sentimental.

"It's your family," Sarutobi protests, and he looks devastated. The other ghosts are similarly stone-faced. It's not pity, not quite, but it still makes Sasuke's neck flush with shame. "It's your family, Sasuke."

Sasuke shrugs and goes back to cleaning. He can't help himself though, because the ghosts must all be thinking it too. "Figures. If there was another Uchiha alive—" The towels he's using are already grimy with dirt. Sasuke tears off another two towels and sprays it again. With each swipe of his hand, names come into view. Each one is identified by their last name, redundant in a site that is dedicated to one family only. U-c-h-i-h-a—

"Figures, though, doesn't it?" he asks again, huffing a small laugh. "The only other Uchiha alive, and he'll probably turn out to be a murdering, traitorous psychopath like the rest of us."

The Yondaime takes a deep breath, shoulders moving up and down with effort. "Get it?" Sasuke prompts. "It's funny."

The Nidaime is the first to interrupt the silence that follows, butand his voice is quiet now, not his usual loud bark. "Who's next, Uchiha?"

* * *

By the time Sasuke gets to his father's name, the sun is coming up and the flashlight is unnecessary. The ghosts have maintained a respectful distance this entire time, only responding to Sasuke's confirmation that yes, the name is here. It seems unnecessary to check this obsessively—just checking the police logs should be enough (and Sasuke has already done that; he has copies of each page of the Konoha Police Department's investigation into the massacre). But Yuuta is absolutely certain, and this is the best Sasuke can do.

Sasuke makes sure that he does not hesitate when clearing his father's name. He does not linger on the gravestone's inscription, and he does not pause for a moment of respect.

It's when he passes his mother's name on the way to Shisui's that he becomes still. She was from a small family from outside the village, certainly not a Sharingan user—women generally aren't, the gene that activates the Sharingan is X-recessive. He doesn't need to clear her name to check (he's been skipping all the non-Sharingan users until now), but it's only a span of seven inches of space, and he can't pass her name by, not when he can't even make out the _Mikoto_ of her name.

Sasuke rubs at the dirt on his hands, wipes at his face with the back of his arm. He's here, might as well—

He begins to clean it. He's tried for eight years to visit this site and give his parents the respect they deserve. But mourning is difficult, Sasuke realized soon after his parents died, especially when he's the only one to carry the burden. He's not a good son, never has been, but he's not as bad as to walk by his mother's name without cleaning it.

Sasuke works quickly, keeping his head down. It takes nearly half a roll of paper towel, because while Sasuke might not be the cleanest person on the planet, this is his mother's name, and she always kept a clean house. When he finishes, Sasuke lingers for just a moment, tracing a finger over her name—_Uchiha Mikoto_, he thinks, and the memories are easy to recall.

Sasuke doesn't remember exactly how she smelled, what her voice sounded like, or what it felt like when she hugged him. Only a few memories remain now: Her outline at his door every morning when she came to wake Sasuke up; the brush she used to try to tame Sasuke's hair with after his baths; her incessant humming while she graded her Academy students' papers. She didn't like it when Sasuke walked through the kitchen with muddy shoes on, and she always started her mornings with a cup of tea and toast with blueberry jam. She could make eggs just the way Sasuke liked them, served them with a large cup of milk and an apple for the walk to school.

Sasuke places a palm over her name, and it is enough to cover all the letters. He huffs a breath on the name and wipes away the condensation again carefully. Does it a second time, a third, until her name is bright and clear. This is _Mother_.

Another decade, and he might forget these details too. But then again, Sasuke thinks, shifting over to return to the task at hand. Then again, he's probably not going to make it another decade. Another year, two at most, and that should be it. He's not sure why anyone would want to live for more than twenty years. Sixteen years, and it already feels like a hundred to Sasuke. Why would anyone—_how_ could anyone—live beyond that?

The ghosts are still hovering at the door, silent. Uncensored, Sasuke finds himself saying, "I don't usually have time."

"Of course," the Shodaime says, and it isn't unkind.

"I used to for a couple of years," Sasuke continues, picking up the scroll with the family tree. The ghosts are silent, so Sasuke adds for clarification, "Perform my duties, I mean. As the son."

The sun is shining brightly now, and in this light, the ghosts look translucent. There is no need to explain himself to the dead, but it's shameful for a son to neglect his duties like this. "I was gone for a while. And now, with ANBU and Akatsuki…" Sasuke trails off.

No, that's not it. "There's a lot to do for one person," Sasuke says, gesturing at the lanterns. The members of the compound took turns checking on the light when Sasuke was young. For one person to keep a fire alive, day and night, is a difficult task. The silence is stifling, and Sasuke can feel his face getting hot. He's never been a good son, and there's no way to say that aloud.

They must know, though.

So he clears his throat and points at the name Uchiha Shisui on the family tree. "Last one."

* * *

Naruto finds him in his office the next day. "Well, well, ANBU," he says tauntingly as he steps into the room. "It's about the size of my office's waiting room, but it's still an office."

Naruto is not alone. Sasuke hears a polite, "Good morning, Uchiha" from the Shodaime. Sarutobi greets him with, "Sasuke, good morning," and the Nidaime with, "Hey, kid." The Yondaime is there, Sasuke knows, but he is probably throwing his routine hissy fit about Naruto's choice of company.

Sasuke ignores them in favor of signing off on the stack of papers that Neji placed on his desk earlier this morning. He must have finished the paperwork at home, then, even after their argument at the office. "What do you want, Uzumaki?"

"You're no fun today," Naruto grumbles, dropping off his bag in one of the chairs. He walks around the table to stand next to Sasuke when Sasuke doesn't answer immediately. A moment passes, and then, "What's wrong?"

Sasuke doesn't answer for a few minutes. He gets through a full folder before Naruto reaches out a hand to tug at his hair lightly. He lets his hand linger, gently running his fingers through Sasuke's hair. It's intimate, but Naruto has never had any respect for personal space. "Bad night? You have nightmares?"

Sasuke tolerates the proximity for only a bit before he shrugs away. Naruto is the only one who talks about these details of Sasuke's life, reckless in pushing the boundaries with Sasuke at each and every turn of their friendship. Even Kakashi knows well enough to stay away. But Naruto—"Hey," Naruto mutters. He takes Sasuke's face in both his hands. He angles Sasuke's face up, studying him. "Did you get any sleep?"

"No," Sasuke answers shortly. He doesn't want to tell Naruto about his trip to the Uchiha gravesite. He'd start asking questions, and then what?

Naruto bends at the waist lightly and rest their foreheads together. He closes his eyes, breathes deep enough for the both of them. "You used to come over to spar when you had nightmares," he mutters. "What are we now? Strangers?"

"I had work," Sasuke dismisses and pulls away. The ghosts are politely looking away, but it's still odd to share private moments like this with someone else.

Naruto snorts. "Like hell you had work. That's not even your handwriting."

"It's Hyuga's," Sasuke admits and skimps the paragraph on Tottori. Integrating well, Neji has written on a post-it note plastered down on the page: _Cost of explosives - expanded budget request? I'll file paperwork as needed._

"I heard you kept him as your second," Naruto says, hoisting himself up on the desk. "He was surprised, you know. But—" Naruto pauses for Sasuke to look at him.

There's no point fighting it. So Sasuke looks up. "But what?"

"I told him you finally figured out he wasn't gay," Naruto says, smiling lightly. There's a snigger from the Nidaime that Sasuke chooses to ignore. "He didn't know whether to be offended or relieved," Naruto goes on. "I told him he should be relieved." And this last part Naruto says with a quick glance at Sasuke from underneath the sweep of his lashes. Sasuke looks back at him and begins to tally the details—he _always_ notices the details about Naruto, can't help but stare at the blond no matter how hard he tries not to.

For today, Naruto has switched out his earrings. His usual silver loops are gone, leaving behind small, dark holes where they usually are. He's dressed in civilian clothes, dark jeans and a long, white-sleeved shirt with a wide collar. Even his hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail, not the usual slicked back look he sports for official work. The perks of working in the Tower, Naruto told him, was that he got weekends off. _Politicians don't work on Sundays, he'd said once_, and Sasuke had thought he was joking. "Stop looking at me like that, Sasuke," Naruto says finally, flushing. "Like you haven't seen me every day since we were seven—"

"Your earrings," Sasuke defends quickly. "They're gone."

Naruto traces the shell of his ear with a finger thoughtfully. "You don't like it? I thought I could go today without them."

Usually, Naruto looks sharp and beautiful, like he's daring the world not to look. He makes Sasuke's hands itch to touch him, makes his mouth go dry every time Naruto looks at him through his lashes. Today, though, Naruto looks scrubbed clean, fresh and soft. It's not the kind of look that makes Sasuke's pants uncomfortably tight; it's the kind that makes Sasuke want to pull Naruto close and run his fingers through Naruto's hair. He'd like to wake up to Naruto looking like this, be able to bury his face in the line of Naruto's neck and breathe deep and easy in the early morning sun. "I figured that a future Hokage shouldn't be waltzing around with piercings and tattoos," Naruto explains. "I'm trying to look respectable. You like?"

Sasuke makes a dismissive gesture at the question, trying to seem uninterested. "I like you however."

That, he realizes a moment later, did not sound uninterested. If anything...

"All right, that's it," the Yondaime declares loudly then. "That's _it_—"

"Namikaze—"

"He's _flirting_ with my boy. Shameless, I tell you. In front of _me_, he's _flirting_ with my boy like some sort of—"

Naruto kicks Sasuke's knee lightly, but there's a pleased smile on his face. "Idiot." He jumps off the desk and walks over to his bag. "I have a present for you."

"_Be grateful, Uchiha!_" the Yondaime thunders from his left.

Sasuke hm-s and goes back to his paperwork. Hiashi likes to deal with his commanding officers on Saturday mornings, which is possibly the worst rule the man has ever made. So now, Sasuke has to sign this last report on the team, drop it off in Hiashi's mailbox and hopefully be out of the office before lunch. Then, he has to follow up on this third Uchiha and make plans for surveying the area himself.

Naruto places a small white box in front of Sasuke. "Here," he says and takes his seat on the edge of the desk again, looking at Sasuke expectantly. "Open it."

Sasuke stares at the box warily. Naruto is not angry with him, but still, he has to cover his bases. "Today is March 17," he says slowly. The date doesn't seem important, but he could be forgetting some inane anniversary that Naruto has decided to celebrate. Usually, he can just take Naruto out for ramen, but if Naruto has gotten him a gift, then maybe it's something more important—

"Oh, just open it," Naruto mutters impatiently. "You haven't forgotten anything. I just got it for you for your promotion."

Sasuke glances up at Naruto to make sure—it could be a trap to see if Sasuke has really forgotten—but the blond seems genuine. So he opens the box carefully. There's a thin white sheet, and when Sasuke folds it over, he sees the gift.

It's a framed picture of Sasuke and Kakashi, one of those candid moments that Sakura has captured. The picture itself is at an odd angle, the background a crystal-blue summer day in Konoha. Kakashi is reaching over to smack Sasuke upside the head, eye crinkled in a smile, and Sasuke is ducking out of his reach. But what makes Sasuke pause is that in the picture, he's sporting a lopsided smile as well, looking entirely unguarded and at ease. "It's a good picture of you two," Naruto explains softly. "I thought you might like it for your office. Kakashi-sensei has a copy on his desk, you know."

Naruto takes the picture and places it on Sasuke's desk, angling it this way and that before he's satisfied. "What do you think?"

He likes the picture, feels something warm in his chest to be able to put it on his desk (the other C.O.'s have pictures, he knows, of girlfriends, families, teams). But he doesn't say anything, just settles for a shrug.

"It's a good picture," the Nidaime says with a chuckle. Sarutobi voices his agreement, and even the Yondaime says, sounding fond, "Kakashi looks good in it."

Naruto threads his hand in Sasuke's hair and tugs playfully. "Liar. You like it."

Sasuke moves away from Naruto's hand half-heartedly. He's keeping his hair much shorter now, cropped close to his head in short spikes so he can't be so easily identified as an Uchiha. But Naruto still tugs and manhandles it like he did when they were twelve and Sasuke had the Uchiha mane. Naruto announces, still tugging at Sasuke's hair, "Let's eat."

"Hey," the Nidaime says, sounding pleased. "The kid's got a date!"

The Yondaime groans.

* * *

Lunch is not their usual ramen stand pig-out. It's a quiet, intimate affair on the balcony of some classy restaurant that Sasuke has never set foot into. The waitress leads them to a small table that overlooks the street underneath, and when Sasuke and Naruto take their seats, Sasuke's legs brush against Naruto's.

"You're a giraffe," Naruto says, kicking Sasuke under the table.

"The table's small," Sasuke corrects.

Naruto starts a low-pitched rant about his peace treaty. He leans forward as he talks, idly twirling the chain around his neck as he speaks. It's not unusual, just another one of their lunches. But this time, it is at a different location, and Naruto's father is breathing down Sasuke's neck.

"Anyways," Naruto says, tracing the rim of his glass with a finger. It makes a low whistling noise as he does this. "I don't understand what Danzo hopes to accomplish by being such an ass. This treaty is important. The Shodaime established this treaty during his administration, and it's been renewed every year since. After Orochimaru's attack we've fallen out of the habit, but now…" He shakes his head, tugging at his necklace in frustration. "Now, Danzo is going to spit on the Shodaime's grave by vetoing it in the Senior Council."

"Well," the Shodaime says mildly. "Not literally, I hope—"

"I mean, insulting Tsunade, insulting the Mizukage, insulting the Land of Water, I can live with that. It's politics," Naruto goes on in a low voice. "I just can't _stand_ the insult to the Shodaime. It's like—it's like he's—" Naruto makes a vague, expansive gesture. "There's no words for that."

The Nidaime whistles. "Wow, Brother. He's taking this pretty hard."

"I'm honored," the Shodaime says solemnly.

Sasuke blinks at Naruto. Sasuke doesn't like politics. They're petty, pointless, and hardly suited for men like him. If Naruto wants to spend his days maneuvering the bureaucracy and politics of the Tower, then that's his choice. For his part, Sasuke would prefer to be on the field. "You know what?" Naruto asks suddenly, sitting up straighter.

Dutifully, Sasuke asks, "What?"

"I should leak a quote to the press," Naruto says and takes a sip of his water. He clears his throat. "Hear me out: Lord Danzo is abusing his power as a Senior Council member. The treaty with the Land of Water is historic and by vetoing this treaty, Lord Danzo is letting politics stain our nation's diplomatic legacy." He pauses expectantly. "Well?"

"Impressive," the Nidaime says. "Minato, your kid's got talent."

"He does," the Yondaime says, and Sasuke can easily imagine the proud set of his shoulders without looking.

"Sounds good," Sasuke mutters and reaches over to grab some of the food on Naruto's plate.

"Hinata will help me polish it up. We should be able to get a few inches in the Monday morning cycle," Naruto goes on, rummaging in his bag for a bit before drawing out a notepad and a pen. He starts to scribble away angrily. "Danzo is not even a _tenth_ of the man that the Shodaime was," he says, snapping his book shut once he's written down his notes. "Although, I guess that's an unfair comparison. I mean, Senju Hashirama against _any_ man is an unfair comparison."

The Nidaime starts to laugh at this. "Brother, he _likes_ you—"

"Um," the Yondaime says, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I'm sure he doesn't mean it in that sense, Nidaime-sama. Probably just hero-worship or—"

"I've seen some of Tsunade's pictures of when the Shodaime was younger," Naruto goes on, looking out over the balcony and towards the Hokage Monument. "My God the shoulders on that man."

"Right," the Yondaime says hurriedly. "He's young, he says some things, and some of those things may be slightly inappropriate. For that, Shodaime-sama, I apologize. Truly, sincerely—"

"No, no," the Shodaime says with a laugh. "I'll take it as a compliment." Sasuke's Sharingan flares to life and he levels a gaze at the Shodaime. The man's smile falls away even as the Nidaime and Sarutobi descend into laughter.

"Okay, here's something you probably didn't know," Naruto goes on, leaning forward with a small smile, "The Shodaime was my first crush. I mean, the first _man_ at least. Tsunade showed me her photo album, and I swear, love at first sight." Naruto sighs wistfully. "If he were alive…"

"He's not," Sasuke says flatly.

Naruto makes a face at Sasuke. "Well, I _know_ that. Anyways, he's been my favorite Hokage ever since."

"He's your favorite Hokage," Sasuke says slowly, "Because you like his shoulders."

"Turns out I have a type," Naruto says, taking a bite of his food. He swallows before adding, "I also think the Shodaime was the greatest political mind that this world has ever seen. The thing with the Tailed Demons? Using them as diplomatic leverage?" Naruto throws up his hands in the air. "Brilliant. The world is about to collapse, and this man stares down the apocalypse with a straight face and goes, You know what? I'm going to fix everything because I am _that_ awesome."

"Well," the Shodaime says, and he coughs lightly to clear his throat. "My thoughts weren't really—"

"If that isn't sexy, I don't know what is," Naruto says, jabbing his chopsticks at Sasuke. "Senju Hashirama, all alpha male, making everyone his bitch." Naruto's face goes blank, his eyes glazing over dreamily. "I bet he was like that in bed too. Probably took control and tossed people around a bit—"

"Ohhh-kay," the Yondaime says loudly.

"Will you shut up?" Sasuke hisses, feeling his face heat up. "He's—" _Right here_ "—He deserves your respect."

Naruto looks insulted. "I do respect him. All of them. I mean, don't get me started on the Nidaime—"

"Please don't," Sasuke scowls.

"Not like that," Naruto dismisses with a wave. "I mean, the Nidaime was a class of his own."

"Really?" the Nidaime asks, sounding interested. "Ask him why, Uchiha. Go on."

The Shodaime laughs. "Tobi…" There's a chill to his left, so Sasuke parrots, "Why?"

Naruto takes a bite of his food and chews thoughtfully. "We haven't seen military genius like that since…well, since ever. The Shodaime may have handled the Tailed Demons, but the Nidaime was the one who put theory into practice and dealt with the aftermath. Especially since after Shodaime-sama's death, the Land of Fire could have potentially become a power vacuum. If the Nidaime hadn't been the man he was…We probably wouldn't be sitting here."

The Nidaime chuckles. "Well, when you put it that way," he says with exaggerated bravado. "I guess I am pretty good."

Naruto tilts his head pensively, and Sasuke knows now that the blond is on a roll. He gets like this sometimes, when he's talking about politics or history. Naruto may have been the dead-last of their Academy class, but now, he is anything but. He pushed himself physically, proved himself on the field. He is still pushing himself on the field, but now, Naruto is flexing his political and mental strengths. Hokage is not just about being the strongest, he'd explained one day, it was about being smart about this strength. So Naruto made himself smart, went after it with the same dedication and determination he did with training. There are still entire days that Naruto holes himself up in the library, devouring just about anything that comes his way, steadfastly ignoring Sasuke's sparring challenges.

"Sarutobi-sensei is probably the best ninja to ever walk this planet. He kept the world together after the Nine-Tailed Demon attacked, and he did it with grace," Naruto says, and he looks infinitely fond as he says this. "He was the wisest, kindest man to have ever walked this earth, and losing him was—" Naruto's voice stops, abrupt. He blinks hard, clears his throat for a moment. "His death was the heaviest loss this village has ever had to bear."

"Oh, child," Sarutobi mutters, reaching out, almost as if he wants to put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. But before he can get there, Naruto recovers with an offhanded, "Mostly though, he intimidated his opponents by just _existing_, so let's not even go there."

Sarutobi laughs at this. "Well, that's not quite—"

"And Tsunade is just a big bully, and most men can't think straight when they see her, so she has her own style," Naruto finishes with a flourish. "And who knows what'll come next. Kakashi-sensei will probably have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the Tower, but he's Kakashi-sensei, so you know...I wonder if you'll get away with calling him just Kakashi when he's Hokage..."

Sasuke isn't the only one who notices the omission, because the ghosts fall suddenly silent. Probably an honest mistake, Sasuke thinks, and prompts casually, "And the Yondaime, too."

Naruto laughs, and it sounds strange, forced almost. "Yondaime-sama died before he could show what kind of Hokage he may have become."

When Sasuke glances at the Yondaime, the man's face has become stone-still. "He's a kid," the Nidaime says quietly, putting a hand on the Yondaime's shoulder. "He's a teenager." The Yondaime looks away from Sasuke when their eyes meet, and oddly, Sasuke feels a need to defend the man. He's loud, obnoxious, and has absolutely no respect for Sasuke's personal space, but the man is good—the same breed of kindness and sincerity that Naruto has inherited.

"The Yondaime," Sasuke says sternly, "Was one of the greatest warriors that Konoha produced. He saved this country, and he—"

"I know exactly what the Yondaime did and did not do," Naruto interrupts. His face has gone completely blank, and there isn't a trace of laughter anymore. "Unfortunately, he _was_ my father, so I've done my research."

The Shodaime is the one to break the silence that follows. "Minato, he's only a child. He's speaking out of anger."

"No, it's fine," the Yondaime insists. "He has a right. I mean, what kind of father…" Sasuke keeps his eyes on his food. He doesn't want to look at the Yondaime right now, because the man has a right to his privacy, and this isn't Sasuke's conversation.

"You don't mean that," Sasuke says finally, and it's the least he can do in the man's defense.

"Uchiha, I appreciate what you're doing, but Naruto has a right to feel the way he—"

Naruto's lips turn down into a frown. "Yes, I do."

"Kakashi says your father loved you more than you could possibly imagine," Sasuke insists, and it's only a half-lie. He's seen how the Yondaime watches his son, as if Naruto is the most precious, incredible thing that he has ever seen. Naruto's happiness, even the smallest joys, makes the Yondaime's face break out into a wide grin, and each one of Naruto's disappointments weighs heavily on the man. "He would have been a good father, if he had lived."

Naruto makes a face, annoyed now. "Don't lecture me, Uchiha," he snaps, and drops his napkin on the table. He reaches for his bag and gets to his feet, ready to leave. "What would you know about fathers, anyway?"

He snaps his mouth shut the minute he says it, sitting back down slowly. "Sasuke, I didn't mean—I wasn't thinking—"

"It's fine." Sasuke puts his napkin down as well, reaching out for his wallet to pay for lunch. Because Naruto, in all his anger, had been right. Sasuke doesn't know about fathers, at least the good ones. Fugaku was hardly a model example, and it's not like Sasuke has experienced much fatherly love in his clusterfuck of a life.

"Sasuke," Naruto begins, "I didn't mean it—" Sasuke gets to his feet, and Naruto mimics him, gripping Sasuke's wrist to halt him in place. "I'm sorry."

Which is when Sasuke realizes Naruto thinks that he's angry, that he's leaving out of anger. "I'm not angry," he says with a shrug. Naruto opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. "You're right. Fugaku was a bad father, and he died when I was young, so I wouldn't know."

Naruto stays silent at this, and so do the ghosts. It is the first time that Sasuke has admitted that out loud, that Fugaku was anything less than ideal, and it is embarrassing to have done it so carelessly.

But before Sasuke can make his escape, avoid all the eyes following his every move, Naruto closes the distance between them. "Listen, you bastard," Naruto says, and takes Sasuke's hand in both of his. "I'm sorry."

Naruto doesn't usually have reason to apologize to Sasuke, not even for being so persistently annoying. It's strange to have to hear those words coming from him, and it takes a moment for Sasuke to react. "It's fine," Sasuke says and pulls away to pay for the food. He drops a few bills on the table and is about to leave when Naruto grabs his wrist again. "You're right, though," the blond says, rubbing a distracted circle against the scar on Sasuke's palm (a kunai accident when he was eight; Itachi had been quietly furious).

"About my father," Naruto goes on. "He was a good man. I just—I just wish sometimes. Is all."

"Yeah," Sasuke mutters and watches as Naruto carefully traces the scar.

Finally, after a few long moments, Naruto says, "The Yondaime Hokage was one of the greatest patriots and heroes that Konoha has ever seen. He sacrificed himself for the safety of his village, and he did it with pride. He envisioned a world that was peaceful, where children did not have to go to war, and where men would live well into their old age. He was a kind man. I heard."

"He is a kind man," Sasuke promises, and Naruto smiles at him.

"If I ever become Hokage," Naruto says. "I want to finish what he started. I want to be like him. I just wish…I just wish he were here, that's all. Him and Mom." Sasuke can't help but glance at the Yondaime, just in time to see the ghost wipe at his eyes quickly. The Nidaime has a hand firmly on the Yondaime's shoulder, gripping it tight.

And because it is getting a little too sentimental for Sasuke, he shrugs a shoulder, nonchalant. "Not as _loud_ as him, I hope."

"_OI!_ I am right here, you _ingrate_. Dishonoring a dead man like that, where do you get the _nerve_—"

"—calling him _loud_?" Naruto yells into his face, shoving him away. "I will show you _loud_, Uchiha Sasuke, so help me God—"

Sasuke rolls his eyes at the Nidaime. The man smiles and holds up his hands as if to say, _All yours_.

_End of Part Six_


	7. Seven: Karin

**Author's Note: **Another mammoth of a chapter, all thanks to Carolyn, my beta who's awesomeness is beyond words. Kneel in front of her her glory, folks. I'm really grateful that y'all are willing to sit through my imagination throwing this tantrum of a story.

I don't normally do long author notes, but this story is generating a lot more interesting and long reviews than my usual work. A lot of you are taking the time to share your thoughts (which, you have no idea how happy it makes me. Thank you!). To answer some of your concerns:

Yes, there is a reason why Sasuke is not so powerful. Sasuke is not as strong as he is in canon yet because in this storyline, he leaves Orochimaru before he can achieve that level. So he doesn't have Kirin, and his sharingan doesn't quite stand up to Kakashi's mangekyou. Don't worry about Sasuke BAMF*ckery, because it will happen!

Yes, the characters are all slightly different from canon, but only because I don't like how Kishimoto did them (thus, this story). A few notes: I always picture the Hokage as a politician-ninja. It makes no sense for "strong" to be the most important trait for a Hokage. If you're in charge of a hidden village, I'd imagine you'd have to be pretty intelligent too, which is why Naruto is all politics-oriented in this story. As for why he is so flamboyantly gay? I figured since he's so loud about everything else in life, he's probably going to be spectacularly loud about his sexuality as well. Also since Sasuke has the emotional and social maturity of a rock, Naruto would need to be obvious.

Sakura (Ino, Hinata, all the other female characters) - Cause they ought to be awesome and not just a pair of tits. Hinata especially. She's going to be the head of one of the more powerful/politically important families in the village. She will be awesome, or so help me god.

What about the rest of the story as penned by Kishomoto? I will incorporate a lot of it into this story as possible, just in the context of my storyline. Read on, and let me know what you think!

* * *

**In Good Company  
**_Seven: Karin_

The next morning, Neji and Shikamaru are both in Sasuke's office, which Sasuke has been expecting.

What Sasuke hasn't been expecting—what has him gritting his teeth—is that Kiba, Shino, Chouji, Lee, Jiro, Kenshin and Tottori are also there. So is Akamaru, gnawing dedicatedly at the leg of Sasuke's desk.

"Well," the Nidaime says thoughtfully, surveying the men gathered in the room. "The more the merrier, I guess."

Kiba is sitting in Sasuke's chair, legs propped up on Sasuke's desk as if he owns the place. But surprisingly, Sasuke can't find any anger at the gesture. _It's Kiba, for God's sake_, he thinks. This is just who he is. Insolent, almost always out of line, but loyal and trustworthy to a fault.

"So what's the plan, Sarge?" Kiba asks when he sees him. "We go kick their ass or what?"

Sasuke works best when he is alone. He knows this as an absolute, knows of having no one but himself to rely on. He is used to the solitude of a solo mission, used to the utter lack of responsibilities of a solo mission. Now, though, there are nine men looking at him expectantly, waiting to follow his orders.

"Well?" Shino prompts, arms stretching over his head lazily. A few of his bugs fly about at the movement before settling again. "What is the plan, Uchiha?"

Sasuke takes a breath, and counts to ten.

* * *

Two days before his surveillance mission, Sasuke becomes a vandal, a grave robber, and a wanted criminal with a large bounty on his head. Sasuke is used to committing crimes, but this is a new low—even for him. He lets his displeasure known loudly, vocally, and with a great amount of oratory flare, but the Yondaime and the Nidaime combine their vocal powers to convince Sasuke to take the ghosts with him, and after twelve continuous hours of _Uchiha, Uchiha, Uchiha, boy, Uchiha,_ Sasuke finally caves.

Because the ghosts are bound to their remains, Sasuke must take the remains with him if he intends to go too far past the village forest. Which is how Sasuke ends up breaking into the Hokage Memorial located in the very depths of the Hokage Gardens. It's an impressive grave site, makes Sasuke hesitate once he finally manages to sneak past the ANBU guards.

"I'm not going to dishonor your graves."

"We give you our permission," the Shodaime says serenely, gesturing at the path leading up to the monument. It's a large circular area, surrounded by a wide stream of water that has golden lettering etched onto the floor of the pool: A protective jutsu, meant to prevent anyone from entering the premises. Orochimaru had broken in once a long time ago, and he had raised the Hokages against Sarutobi during his battle. Now, security has been increased.

Sarutobi is the one who breaks the code of the jutsu. (He says: "Ah, this would have been nice to have had _before_ Orochimaru got your DNA, Shodaime-sama and Tobirama-sensei,") and guides Sasuke through the steps to disarm it. Sasuke walks past the large fire at the center of the monument—meant to symbolize the strength and soul of Konohagakure, Iruka had explained to them on one of their field trips—past statues of guardian animal spirits, and right past the line barring visitors from going any further.

"Oh, fucking hell," Sasuke mutters to himself and begins to dig with the shovel he brought along with him. It takes him three full hours to dig out the large slabs of stone that are covering the graves of each of the Hokages, and another hour to move each one. ("What are you, a woman? Put your back into it, boy, _push_.")

The Shodaime is buried in full armor and splendor, with all his weapons neatly laid out around him. There is also a considerable amount of gold. Sasuke jumps into the grave and grabs the smallest bone he can find (a toe knuckle, and no matter what the Nidaime says, he is _not taking a lock of the Shodaime's hair, for fuck's sake_).

"Perhaps," the Shodaime says thoughtfully, looking down into the hole where Sasuke is standing. "You should steal the gold as well. And my weapons."

Sasuke stares up at the ghosts. "What?"

The Nidaime hm-s under his breath, thoughtful for a few moments before saying, "Brother's right. You should take the gold."

Sarutobi points out, helpful as always, "And the weapons. Loot it clean, Sasuke. You must make it look convincing."

"No," Sasuke says, resolute. He's been pushed around by the ghosts enough. He's not going to let them _bully_ him into stealing. And besides, Sasuke may have been a traitor and an outlaw, but he has never, and _will_ never, steal.

"Take the gold, Uchiha," the Yondaime snarls. "Or I will walk into you, so help me God."

Sasuke grits his teeth. "You can _try_."

The Yondaime walks into him, and _stays_ there until Sasuke's teeth start to chatter and his pulse begins to slow from the chill.

He takes the gold and the weapons. Overall, even Sasuke has to admit, it's a very convincing robbery indeed.

* * *

He makes headlines the next day. HOKAGE GRAVES VANDALIZED, PRICELESS ARTIFACTS MISSING, according to the Konoha Telegraph. LARGE MANHUNT UNDERWAY FOR THIEF, in another paper that Sasuke picked up while on his morning run, which also conveniently doubled as a cover to bury the artifacts. The radio is blaring the news, every single channel on TV is zooming in on teary-eyed school children and stone-faced warriors. There's even a picture of Tsunade, kneeling down by her grandfather and great uncle's graves, an unreadable expression on her face. Everywhere Sasuke turns, he hears people talking about that _Son of a bitch, let him rot in Hell, him and his ancestors_—

"Don't feel bad about it," the Shodaime consoles as Sasuke packs his weapons for the mission. "You can return the artifacts once this is over."

Right now, the loot is buried under a large stone in the Eastern Forest, along one of Sasuke's running routes. The four knuckle bones—_I am a sick, sick man_, Sasuke thinks—are in Sasuke's kunai pouch, and will travel with him wherever he goes. With the bones mobile, the ghosts will be able to follow, no matter how far Sasuke goes.

Sasuke heads towards the Western Gate, ignoring the ghosts' running commentary on the safety of the loot. The others are waiting for him when he gets there, though none of them will join him on this mission. When Sasuke had insisted the others stay behind, Shikamaru had surprisingly agreed. "This is only surveillance," Shikamaru explained to the others. "It's best for Uchiha to follow up on his lead alone. Anymore manpower, and it would've attracted too much attention." And for once, Neji conceded to the point as well, and with him, the others followed.

But this time the men aren't bantering like usual. Even Kiba is silent, Akamaru standing close to his side in the early morning chill. Sasuke is quiet when he walks up to them, and although they all stand up straighter at his arrival, there are no greetings.

"Stick to the route, Uchiha," Shino insists, voice pitched low as Sasuke balances on the edge of the high wall. The entire trip is unauthorized, but thanks to some bureaucratic magic courtesy of Neji, Sasuke has a reasonable amount of funds to go through with his plans and a proper excuse for his absence ("Sick leave," Neji said flatly and procured an inordinate amount of paperwork that amounted to nothing less than medical fraud).

"My weapons," Jiro offers and presses a rolled up cloth into Sasuke's hands. Sasuke unrolls it and finds an array of knives. They're perfectly balanced and probably some of the finest knives in the Continent, Sasuke knows, because Jiro showed them to the others one day. The Iwate family is a family of blacksmiths, and their swords are all priceless. Sasuke's sword, the one Kakashi handed down to him, is an Iwate sword as well.

"Five energy pills," Chouji mumbles and takes Sasuke's hand to press a bag into it. "One every four hours, no more, or you'll hit liver failure. After twenty hours, you'll need medical intervention."

"We'll stand guard, Sarge," Kiba goes on, putting a warm hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "If you're not back in three weeks, we'll be right on your heels."

"They're waiting for you," the Nidaime prompts from his left suddenly. Sasuke gives the ghost a sidelong glance. Waiting for what, he wants to ask, but the ghost answers without Sasuke voicing the question. "You need to reassure your men."

Once, when Kakashi had to leave them behind on one of their missions, Sakura and Naruto had clung to his side. Naruto checked and double-checked Kakashi's weapons, testing each one of them to make sure they were good. Sakura restocked Kakashi's supply of emergency medicine and water supplies every two hours until the jounin finally told them to stop it, to sit down and rest for the night.

Sakura and Naruto had pulled their bedrolls close to Kakashi for the evening, curled on either side of the jounin like parentheses. The jounin had to go, Sasuke understood even at twelve, because their C-rank mission had stumbled them right into the middle of a war between two outlaw groups; and Kakashi had to scout out a safe passage for them. W_e can come with you, Kakashi-sensei,_ Naruto whispered in the middle of the night, sounding worried and small. And Sakura joined him in their low-pitched pleading for the jounin to let them come along, _Please, please, please, Kakashi-sensei, don't go_.

Three months after the incident with Zabuza, and the team still hadn't recovered. Kakashi left early the next morning anyway, but only after yielding to Sakura and Naruto's drawn out hugs and final threats and promises to _Kill you if you get hurt, even a bit, Kakashi-sensei, I swear._

And Kakashi had said then, nonchalant as always, _I'll see you kids in a while_. It was just enough for Naruto and Sakura to loosen their holds on the jounin's vest and Kakashi disappeared.

Sakura and Naruto huddled close to each other, miserable, and waited for the jounin to return for two straight days. They were irritable, distracted, useless for even simple tasks like hunting for food and firewood. It wasn't until Kakashi returned, eye crinkled into a smile, that the clouds lifted over Team 7. Sasuke hadn't been as obvious as the others (ninja don't _cling_ to their teachers, they face whatever is thrown at them), but he can still remember the loud thump of his heartbeat when Kakashi disappeared into the mist outside their camp.

Now, Sasuke pulls up his face-cloth (no ANBU mask for this mission, nothing to identify him as a soldier of Konoha) and considers what he can say to these men (_his_ men now, because he has his own team). They're grown men, and still the worry is thick in the early morning air. Even Shikamaru is silent, breathing in his cigarette with unusual dedication.

In the end, Sasuke settles for something simple. If it worked for Kakashi—"I'll see you ladies in a while."

He pushes off the high wall and into the forest below to the sound of Akamaru's farewell bark.

* * *

It's five hundred miles to the border of the Land of Fire, and one hundred and thirty-two more into the heart of the Land of Rice Fields. He travels light, fast, and silent except for the occasional request for the ghosts to step back a bit, it's too cold.

Yuuta joins him twenty miles into the journey, appearing with a soft pop when Sasuke summons him with a thought. "Westward," he hisses and slithers up to coil around Sasuke's bicep. The second day, it starts to rain, an unrelenting, miserable downpour that follows Sasuke for miles and miles.

"They were here," Yuuta insists, surveying the forest around them when they reach their destination. "They were _here_, damnit."

But there is nothing here, not a trace of any human activity in the last month or two from the looks of it. Not a single leftover chakra signature, no site off-camp where the men may have taken care of business, not a single damn thing. Which means that there is no third Uchiha, that it is only Itachi, and that they are headed back towards Amegakure. This is nothing, not any useful information that he can use.

"Boy," Yuuta snarls, his throat thickening with venom and anger. He must sense Sasuke's frustration, because Sasuke has to clench his fists and jaw to control it. "I am telling you—"

"Enough, Yuuta," Sasuke says, looking around the clearing. But Yuuta is a proud snake, quick to anger and even quicker to defend his name.

"They were here. The Kin-Butcher and another of your clan. They were here, and one of them sensed me—"

"Enough," Sasuke interrupts. He is cold, wet, and tired. Hundreds of miles from home, his patience is starting to wear thin. He'll have traveled over a thousand miles when he returns to Konoha, and for nothing. "You were mistaken, Yuuta. That's all there is. We return to—"

"Ninety-six years of my life," Yuuta snarls, interrupting. "And not once, not _once_ have I been mistaken about—"

"What's going on?" the Nidaime asks from Sasuke's side. "What are you two talking about?"

Sasuke pulls down his face-cloth and rubs angrily at the stubble there. The stupid cloth has gotten wet in the rain and it's been difficult to breath through. Three and a half days here, and three and a half days back. Not a single lead to show for it except for a wet face-cloth and a beard.

"—_listen to me when I speak to you_!" Yuuta snarls, and his voice is loud and unnatural in the silence of the mid-afternoon stillness.

Sasuke let's his Sharingan swirl to life. "Enough," he says, and this time it is in human tongue.

Yuuta blinks up at him, and Sasuke can sense his anger against his own mind, thick and cloying. Finally, Yuuta asks, "Orders?"

"Dismissed," Sasuke snaps, and the snake vanishes without another word.

He regrets it the minute the silence settles. _And isn't this fucking perfect_, Sasuke thinks angrily. It's raining and cold, he's tired, hungry, and here he is, in the middle of the Land of fucking Rice Fields, feeling guilty.

"You tried," the Yondaime says after a few moments of Sasuke just standing there, staring at the spot where Yuuta had previously been. "Some leads are going to be dead ends. That's just how it is."

Sasuke glances at the man, unwilling to say anything because he knows exactly why the Yondaime is giving him this pep talk. In the end, this is about Naruto, not about Sasuke's anger or Yuuta's hurt pride. A useless lead for the Yondaime is just that devastating—a dead end. They know nothing new from this expedition: Akatsuki is still operating out of Amegakure, they're recruiting warm bodies in the Land of Rice Fields, and they're heading towards Konoha.

Sarutobi takes a deep breath. "We head back to Konoha, regroup and—"

And what would he say to Kakashi when he got back? He took on this task, singlehandedly wrestled it out of the Hokage's grip, and he comes back like a sullen teenager without anything to show for a week-long mission. _There is a difference between a barking dog and a biting dog,_ Itachi said to him once. And Sasuke knows that difference better than anyone else. He will not, cannot, return to Konoha empty-handed.

"No," Sasuke interrupts. "We're not done here."

He heads northwest without giving the ghosts a chance to answer, going deeper into the Land of Rice Fields. The ghosts follow immediately, asking him questions, talking over each other to convince Sasuke not to do anything rash, to turn around and go back to Konoha. "What are you doing?" the Nidaime demands.

Sasuke gives the man a sidelong glance. "Yuuta doesn't make mistakes," he explains.

"Everyone makes—"

"Not Yuuta," Sasuke insists, because this is a faith that cannot be shaken. He's not trailing run-of-the-mill ninjas. He's tracking Akatsuki, and if they want to disappear without leaving a single damn trace, they can do it. The absence of a trail here does not necessarily mean anything. And Yuuta has never, ever, ever made a mistake. If Sasuke starts to doubt his snakes, then how the hell is he supposed to fight this fight against Pein?

The Yondaime appears in front of Sasuke suddenly, floating backwards to keep pace with Sasuke's momentum. "So what now? You're going to what? Track down an Uchiha without any supplies, any backup, or any plan? I asked you to help my son, not be reckless—"

"No," Sasuke corrects again. "I'm not being reckless."

Because Kakashi taught him better than that. After all his years as Kakashi's student, waiting hours on end just for the jounin to show up, Sasuke has learned the value of patience. It is the second lesson that Kakashi taught him. _Rule one, always protect your teammates._

_Rule two, be patient._

"Then what is your plan?" the Yondaime demands loudly. "What is your grand strategy here?" Sasuke tugs down his face-cloth, balances on a branch and takes a deep breath. He can smell the fields in the distance, the slightly stale, musky scent of rice and wheat carrying over the wind.

"So?" the Shodaime prompts. "Now what?"

Sasuke glances at the man. "Now I get a drink."

* * *

Urausu has a population of five hundred and forty-nine people according to the local priest. She knows, she says, because she's christened nearly half of those five hundred and forty-nine, and the other half, her father christened. Sasuke knows this because the local priest is also the local bartender, and Sasuke is an acquaintance of Urausu's one and only bartender.

When Sasuke steps into the tavern, there is no one at the counter. It's nothing more than a dingy room with wooden benches and seats, a chalk board at the front of the room highlighting the drinks and their prices. There's only four taps at the front, but Sasuke knows that each of those brews are local, and a glass, no matter how cheap, is one of the best in the Continent. There is no one in the bar, and that's to be expected. Past midday, and all the men of the town will be hard at work in the fields. "You still have time to retreat," the Nidaime says in a rush. "Turn around and no one will recognize you. Uchiha—"

"Mrs. Oonishi," Sasuke calls out, pulling down his face-cloth. The Nidaime's mouth falls open mid-sentence at the interruption. When there is no response, Sasuke tries again, even louder. She was fifty-eight when he last saw her, aged early by years of hard work, and already hard of hearing. Now, she must be over sixty. "Mrs. Oonishi!"

There's a moment, and then he can hear some cluttering from the back of the shop. "Who is it?"

"It's me," Sasuke calls out, pulling off his gloves and stepping further into the shop. "Uchiha S—"

"Sasuke?" Mrs. Oonishi breathes out, and she's standing at the other end of the room, squinting at Sasuke to get a better look. Her hair is almost entirely grey now, pulled back into the same ponytail that Sasuke remembers. Her skin is a dark, rich brown, like almost everyone else in the Land of Rice Fields. "Gods be good, boy, they said you were dead," Mrs. Oonishi breathes. _I **was** dead_, Sasuke wants to say. But that is a story for another day. Right now—

"A drink, Mrs. Oonishi."

Mrs. Oonishi's mouth opens, and for a moment she doesn't say anything. Then, her brown eyes crinkle into a smile. "Will a pale ale do? I don't have your usual on tap anymore, the brewers have been out of business out in Niseko, and you know how it is…"

"You're a regular here, then," the Shodaime says with a grumble.

"A pale ale is fine." Sasuke sits at one of the high stools and accepts the drink that Mrs. Oonishi places in front of him with a sigh. It's been many, many months since he's had some good ale, and after seven hundred miles, it's possibly the only thing Sasuke could ask for. A drink.

No matter how much he hated his time with Orochimaru, he always liked the freedom of living in the Land of Rice Fields. No one recognized him in the Land of Rice Fields, didn't look at him and know immediately _Uchiha_ or _traitor_.

Mrs. Oonishi leans on the counter to look Sasuke in the eyes. She's a short woman, nearly two feet smaller than Sasuke, so she has to reach up to smack Sasuke on the cheek lightly. Sasuke doesn't shy away from the touch, because this is Mrs. Oonishi, the same woman who tutted over him when he first stumbled into this bar, terrified and unsure of the decision he'd made. _Here, child_, she'd said, and gave Sasuke his first drink.

"Not a single letter all these months?"

Sasuke stays silent. He should have written, could have written, but instead, he'd dragged Orochimaru's rotting body all the way back to Konoha and spent a few months in jail for being a traitor. Any correspondence with the Land of Rice Fields would have been a liability. And besides, he wants to say, he wasn't aware that he was _supposed_ to write.

Mrs. Oonishi heaves a sigh, her large chest moving up and down with the effort. "Well, what are you here for, then? Spit it out, I have a business to run here." She gestures expansively at the empty room behind Sasuke.

Sasuke can't help the curl of his lips. Mrs. Oonishi, despite her looks, is a businesswoman first. "I'm looking for Karin."

"Who?" the Yondaime asks loudly. "A _woman_? You're here for a woman? I knew it! I knew that he is nothing more than a—"

Mrs. Oonishi chuckles. "Oh?"

"You know where she is." It isn't a question, because Mrs. Oonishi knows where everyone is at any given time in the Land of Rice Fields. She is the hub of the country in some ways, in a country without a Kage, without a ruler, without any government.

Mrs. Oonishi hums under her breath, ignoring Sasuke. This may or may not be a successful transaction of information. Just when Sasuke is about to press for more information, Mrs. Oonishi says casually, "Well, then. While you're here." She jerks a thumb over her shoulder. "I have some chores I could use some help with."

It's a deal, then. Sasuke finishes the drink and sets the mug down. "What can I do for you, Mrs. Oonishi?"

* * *

Sasuke met Karin on his third day in the Village of Sound. After dragging himself halfway across the Continent, burning up with a fever and the cursed seal, fingernails still tinged red with Naruto's blood, Sasuke collapsed at Orochimaru's doorstep.

He awoke two days later with red hair in his face and a loud voice that immediately fell silent when Sasuke rasped out, _Sakura_?

_No, my name is Karin_, the girl had said and blinked furiously at Sasuke. She had red hair, nearly red eyes, and two spots of red high on her cheek. Her neck was flushed pink too. Sasuke had been hounded by nearly every Academy girl in Konoha, from the youngest of the young to older genin. He knew a crush when he saw one.

For the first few weeks, Sasuke took great pains to avoid Karin while he was in Otogakure, but it was hard to avoid her. She was one of the few people his age, the only one who wasn't a wanted criminal or a psychopath, and the only one without a cursed seal. She was one of Orochimaru's many assistants during his experiments, useful only now and then, but otherwise inconsequential.

Within the month, though, Sasuke understood. She was quiet, but she paid attention. She had a bloodline she underplayed to make sure Orochimaru didn't notice her too much. She gathered gossip and rumors like she did currency, and everyone within miles of the village knew her in one way or another. She was never in anyone's debt, but everyone owed her a favor.

Eventually, Sasuke became the one who tagged along with Karin. Her freedom became Sasuke's freedom—she showed him the hidden passages around Otogakure, how to get out of there, how to navigate the fields surrounding the village, and the small towns nearby. She was the one who introduced Sasuke to Mrs. Oonishi, the one who covered for him when he came back to the village drunk, unable to walk in a straight line.

Sasuke can remember instances of being attracted to her, because he hit puberty with all the subtlety of a raging army, and in the roar of hormones, he couldn't help but notice the flush of Karin's thighs during muggy summer days, and the small undulations of her breasts under the white tank tops she always wore. But Sasuke's attractions never got far. The only time he spent in Karin's room was when they were sharing a joint, breathing hazy smoke into the air and floating higher, higher, higher.

Karin is not like any other woman Sasuke has ever met. She grew out of her crush on Sasuke within weeks, went from being awestruck to overprotective within the span of four months. And when Sasuke said, I want to kill him, she hadn't flinched a muscle. They were up against Orochimaru and an entire army, but she hadn't even blinked at the challenge that lay ahead.

Just said,_ All right_. _Give me a month._ Karin gathered intel, gave Sasuke the explosives he would need, the one who set the trap in the end. Karin drew Orochimaru away from the village, and then, she sealed the only exit out of Otogakure. She hadn't opened the doors again until Sasuke was done inside, having descended on Orochimaru's army with his Sharingan and cursed seal burning. And then, she'd taken Sasuke to Orochimaru, told Sasuke, _Go ahead, Konoha._

Orochimaru had never paid nearly enough attention to Karin, but Sasuke has always been good at learning from other people's mistakes. They call her the Black Widow now, and for a reason. So he waits, patiently, for Karin to show up in Urausu.

* * *

Karin appears in a flurry of red and white three days later. Sasuke is on the roof, repairing a leak with new shingles when he hears Karin call down from below, "Sasuke! I'm here!"

"Yeah, I heard," Sasuke calls back, but he doesn't come down immediately. The plan to find Karin had been mostly impulsive. Now, though, he has to actually deliver on the plan and get results. His search, even with Yuuta's help, will be futile. Yuuta is only useful when he has a target and a location given to him. He's a spy, not a tracker. Searching such large land masses is beyond Yuuta's level.

Karin is the only obvious choice, but Sasuke isn't sure what cards he has to play at this table. The last he saw of Karin was when he flattened the Village of Sound and told everyone to run,_ Run, or I swear by almighty fucking God, I will kill all of you_. She had been on his side against the army. When the battle was won and Karin had guided Sasuke to Orochimaru, she'd left without a goodbye, assuming that Sasuke would die in his battle against Orochimaru.

He finishes the job first, checking the shingles to make sure they're snug and won't come loose in a heavy storm. When he drops back to the ground, Karin is waiting for him. She isn't shy about giving Sasuke a long, hard look, lip twitching at what she sees.

The last time he saw her, Karin was only slightly beautiful. Now, she's stunning.

She's all curves, wonderful red hair pulled back into a braid, dressed as if she just walked out of a television set, and damn, she smells good. And her eyes: a maroon-brown, nearly red in this light and brilliant behind her sleek rectangular glasses.

"Sasuke," she says, stepping close to Sasuke. She's almost as tall as Sasuke with her ridiculous heels (and how she can fight in those things, Sasuke will never understand), so she has no problem tilting her head just so and giving a peck on Sasuke's cheek. "How are you?"

There is no hint of derision in that question. And just like that, Sasuke understands. It's as simple as that, sometimes. _Just ask_, Karin had told him once, a long time ago. Sasuke had been sick of the darkness, sick of the stale air, sick of Orochimaru's depravity and oppression. He wanted sunshine, clean air, and freedom. Karin had been the only one who knew the secret routes out of their underground prison. _Just ask me, Sasuke_.

So Sasuke asked,_ I want to kill him_. And she'd shown him how.

Sasuke answers, "I'm fine. You?"

"Wonderful, thanks for asking," Karin says, stepping back fluidly, her billowy shirt rustling slightly with the movement. Her shirt is cut low and is loose enough that Sasuke can see just the barest hint of Karin's bra; a little black thing that draws Sasuke's eyes immediately. "Mrs. Oonishi says you've been looking for me."

Sasuke eyes the bar where Mrs. Oonishi is busy taking inventory of her stock. His Sharingan swirls to life briefly and he sees the ghosts a few feet away, waiting expectantly. Sasuke hasn't had the time to explain his purpose here yet—there hasn't been any time with Mrs. Oonishi giving him errands to keep him occupied nearly all hours of the day. They must be wondering, though.

Sasuke knows Karin though, and she won't yield any information without a bit of wooing. So, "Drink?"

Karin doesn't miss a beat. She swings her rucksack over her shoulder and walks towards the bar without waiting for Sasuke. "You can pay, Konoha," she throws over her shoulder.

Sasuke follows her, pausing only when Karin leans over the counter to reach for a mug. "Nice ass," the Nidaime says thoughtfully from his right.

Sasuke smirks, Sharingan flickering into life just in time to catch the Nidaime's expression. The ghost puts up his hands in concession. "Hey. A man can't not look," he says with a chuckle. "Not when a beautiful woman walks by."

Sasuke follows his gaze back to Karin. "No," he agrees with a curl of his lips. She is, perhaps, the most stunning woman on this side of the Continent. "No, he can't."

* * *

He breaches the topic much later in the night, with Karin curled up next to him in bed. It hadn't been hard, really, to get there. A drink, two, and then they were heading upstairs into one of the rooms that Mrs. Oonishi rents out to travelers.

Sasuke takes a puff of the joint and holds it in his lungs before letting it out. He's already pleasantly buzzed, because as always, Karin has the best. The ghosts had left the minute they realized Sasuke's plans for the evening, when Karin had announced, "Let's get baked, Uchiha, for old time's sake." (_Drugs, Sasuke?_ Sarutobi had asked, sounding broken. _Have I failed you that much?_)

When they were in Otogakure, Karin offered him alternatives whenever Orochimaru refused to heal him. She didn't have access to painkillers or anesthetics, so she gave Sasuke the next best thing: Weed.

So now, he is alone with Karin, falling into some old habits. "I need you to track someone," Sasuke says without preamble, and Karin hm-s into his shoulder. She's gets touchy-feely when she's high, eyes distant and tracking wayward ninja that flit by her conscience. "High-level chakra, a little like mine."

Karin freezes, and then she sits up in a huff. Immediately, she is alert, chakra spiking in her anger. "Your brother?"

Sasuke hands her the joint. She eyes it warily before taking it. "Not him."

Karin breathes in deep. She doesn't offer it back, though. "I'm not going to track Akatsuki, Sasuke."

"I only need a location," Sasuke insists. Karin is still silent, so Sasuke relents. "I'm willing to pay."

Karin's frown doesn't vanish, but she pauses in thought. "Twenty-five thousand ryo," she says neatly. When Sasuke raises an eyebrow at the price—high, even by outlaw standards—Karin rolls her eyes. "You think I'm cheap, Uchiha? You want a tracker like me, you better be willing to pay."

Sasuke has a little over two grand for this entire trip. And he needs a bit of currency to be able to get back to Konoha in one piece. "Twenty," he says, and when Karin opens her mouth to bargain, he puts a hand up. "That's all I have."

She gives Sasuke a long look before saying with finality, "You owe me." She lays down on the bed again, the transaction now over. They contemplate the ceiling together, blinking against the low haze of smoke hanging in the air.

"I'm starving."

* * *

She wakes up early the next morning and disappears in a clatter of heels down the stairs. Sasuke listens to her go before getting up to shave and shower. By the time he comes down, Karin is already packed and ready to go, saying her farewells to Mrs. Oonishi.

Sasuke waits for Mrs. Oonishi to finish hugging Karin and offers to escort her out. He rounds on her the minute they're out of Mrs. Oonishi's earshot. "Our deal."

"I remember," Karin says, brushing off Sasuke with a shrug. "Your target—" She points west and south. "Seventy or so miles that way. I sensed them a few weeks ago, and I've kept tabs on their movements since. High-level ninja. Akatsuki, from the looks of it."

"How did she…" the Yondaime breathes, and for once, even he is at a loss. But Sasuke is used to this side of Karin, her uncanny sensitivity to chakra no matter how far away it is. It's her bloodline, Orochimaru explained to him once. Orochimaru recruited her for this purpose alone.

"How many?" Sasuke prompts.

Karin tilts her head in that direction, hm-ing under her breath lightly. "Two," she says finally. "They're traveling…fast. Heading away from us, towards-—Well, only one city that way, really."

"Amegakure," Sasuke finishes, running a hand through his hair. "What kind of chakra? You have anything else on them?"

Karin purses her lips into a thin line and leans in towards Sasuke a bit more. "I thought it was you," she admits finally, and this is the first time Sasuke has seen this expression on Karin's face. She is almost never uncertain about her tracking abilities, but now, she's biting her lip, looking thoughtful and sounding unsure. "I was headed in their direction because I thought it was you."

"It was my brother."

"No, I know his chakra signature. I've tracked him for Orochimaru before. It's someone else." She turns east again. The sun is still low in the sky, but the early morning heat is already starting to set in. "I could have sworn the other one was you, and I was curious. I didn't understand why you'd be traveling with him. But then Mrs. Oonishi put the word out for me. So I doubled back to get here."

Sasuke takes a breath against this information. Almost exactly what Yuuta said. The chances of both of them making the same mistake are slim to none, so there must be some truth to this. "Anything else?"

Karin shakes her head, stepping back. "Just that whoever it is, it's an Uchiha. Powerful. And…" She makes a face, lost in thought. She turns towards the chakra source again, tilting her head up. She breathes in deeply once, twice—

"Old," Karin mutters finally. "Very old. Old as the trees."

Sasuke follows her gaze. "That's what Yuuta said."

"Yuuta was always a good scout," Karin agrees. She turns to Sasuke and holds out her hand. "Unmarked, nonconsecutive bills. Without your ridiculous Konoha trackers, please."

"Yeah, yeah," Sasuke mutters, and pulls out his wallet. It's standard procedure for ANBU to be issued randomized bills for their missions. Still...it would be difficult to explain this expense to Neji, who had taken these funds out of their equipment budget for the next two months. Apparently, if any one of his men are in severe need of kunais or shurikens in the coming weeks, Sasuke will not be able to provide them with any arms. Jiro will not be happy.

He counts out the bills and hands them to Karin who double-checks before slipping them into her bag. She smiles at him. "Nice doing business with you."

"You knew the information already," Sasuke points out, looking over his shoulder when he hears Mrs. Oonishi bang open the front door to her bar. Mrs. Oonishi steps outside and begins to beat out a table cloth. She waves her hand at Karin, and Karin returns the gesture, waving back enthusiastically. Mrs. Oonishi lingers on the porch for a moment before returning inside. "You overcharged."

"But the company was good, though," Karin says with a grin.

Mrs. Oonishi closes the door to her bar with a loud bang. "Head underground," Sasuke instructs. Itachi must have noticed Karin following them, and Itachi does not let slights like that go. "Lay low until Akatsuki clears out."

"Look at you, all concerned," Karin croons with a laugh. She steps forward to kiss Sasuke on the lips. It's brief, chaste, but Karin is smiling into the kiss for the few moments it lasts. "Watch your back, Konoha. Akatsuki's got four of the tailed demons already. Rumors are they're recruiting for something big. They're on the move for that jinchuriki of yours. "

Sasuke frowns at her. "He's not my—"

Karin interrupts Sasuke with a laugh. "You betrayed Orochimaru and laid waste to Otogakure for him," she says, walking away already. "You didn't think word would have spread by now, Romeo?"

She vanishes in a blur a moment later, not even giving Sasuke enough time to respond. Sasuke blinks at the spot where Karin had been.

"Who the fuck is Romeo?" he asks finally, and the Nidaime starts to laugh.

* * *

It takes him the better part of the evening to travel a little over sixty miles, and by the end, Sasuke is feeling the strain of it. He's used to traveling long distances, but not at such high speeds. It took him all his patience to wait until the sun had set before heading in the direction Karin pointed out. But once he starts to travel, he can't help but travel hard and fast despite the ghosts' warnings to pace himself, that it is no use arriving at his destination worn out.

He can't pace himself, though, because there is a third Uchiha. He's spent the majority of his life convinced that his life will be defined by its loneliness. But now. Now, there is a third Uchiha.

He's not sure who he could have missed? Itachi had killed everyone that night, and Sasuke had double—and triple—checked the bodies before they were cremated.

He takes a break only when he can't ignore the burn in his legs anymore and his breathing has started to come out in gasps. When he finally slows to a jog, and then to a complete stop, the ghosts fall silent. Sasuke spends a few minutes doubled over, breathing hard and trying to calm the thundering of his heart. He can't sense Akatsuki at this distance, but they must be a twenty or so miles ahead. He could push through, could stumble into their camp around midnight, but then what?

There's a cool touch on his shoulder. "You've been patient all these years. You can wait one more night," the Shodaime says, and it's not unkind. "Make camp."

Sasuke straightens and wipes the sweat from his brow. "I'll lose them."

"Not with your speed you won't," the Nidaime points out. "Make camp, boy."

Sasuke hesitates only a moment before he follows their advice. He doesn't bother making a fire, just picks the largest tree he can find to lean up against and brings out the bags of food that Mrs. Oonishi gave him before he left the tavern. The Land of Rice Fields does not have the forests that Konoha does. The trees in this country are shrubs compared to the great oaks and redwoods that surround Konoha. The smoke from a fire can be spotted a mile away by someone watching, and in the Land of Rice Fields, someone is always watching. Which means he'll have to tolerate the cold and sleep without the protection of the canopy.

Shisui was sent on a solo mission to the Land of Rice Fields once, and it lasted nearly three weeks. Shisui had returned with dirt under his fingernails and dark circles under his eyes. Sasuke remembers waiting for Shisui's return, recalls how the entire compound had held its breath while one of its sons traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles in solitude. Itachi had welcomed him home from that mission with a hug, Sasuke remembers, because the mission was supposed to be a week-long, but it had taken Shisui the better part of a month to return home.

Maybe this was what Shisui faced those three weeks, night after night. This muggy, oppressive silence in the middle of nowhere, and the gut-wrenching feeling of having no cover, not even a decent tree or shrub to hide out in.

Sasuke is nearly done eating when the Yondaime asks, "Who do you think it is?"

Sasuke double-checks his traps in favor of answering. He's not sure he wants the ghosts to witness this. This is his family, not some soap opera for everyone to watch. More importantly, he's not sure how to answer. He settles against the tree, hand curled around the hilt of his sword laid out next to him.

The Nidaime prompts, "Do you have any idea who—"

"That's enough, Tobi," the Shodaime interrupts sternly.

The Nidaime clears his throat. "I apologize. I wasn't think—"

"It doesn't matter who it is," Sasuke answers finally, interrupting the ghost. If Sasuke could wish any Sharingan user back to life, if he could wish for this third Uchiha to be anyone, it would be Shisui. But Shisui was found dead, bloated and rotting at the bottom of the Naka River. And Sasuke is many, many years past the age of wishful thinking.

Right here, right now, it doesn't matter who it is: Shisui, Fugaku, Obito, or another one of his uncles. It doesn't matter. If they're traveling with Itachi, then they must be affiliated with Akatsuki. And that means—

Sasuke settles more comfortably against the tree. "Fucking Uchihas," he sighs into the silence of the night, and closes his eyes.

* * *

He wakes up with a startle when he feels a familiar chakra against his consciousness like a jolt of electricity. Uchiha, he knows it, because it's his own blood. _Brother_.

It's nearly morning, and in this light, Sasuke can see the ghosts' pearly blue silhouettes gathered around him. "What is it?" the Nidaime demands, getting to his feet.

Sasuke signals _enemy_ and points in the direction from where he sensed the chakra. It's Itachi, he's sure, because he knows it better than any other chakra signature on the face of this Continent. The chakra flare was brief, most likely out of anger or pain—and Itachi's self-control must have broken for only a moment—but it is enough for Sasuke.

"How far?" the Shodaime asks. "We'll scout ahead."

Eighty or so yards, Sasuke estimates. He thinks, _Daichi_, and the snake appears by his side with a soft pop. He raises his head to scan the surroundings, tongue flickering out to smell the air.

_Kin-Butcher,_ Daichi communicates. Sasuke points and Daichi trains his eyes in the direction Sasuke is indicating. _Close by. Will you retreat?_

Sasuke has no backup, no game plan, and not nearly enough weapons to defend himself against Itachi. He's still tired from traveling so hard the night before, and God damn it, he hasn't even taken a leak in over six hours. But retreating against Itachi—

Sasuke presses himself close to the ground. He begins to move towards the target. _Cover my back._

_No. I'll scout ahead. Stay here,_ Daichi says and slithers past Sasuke before Sasuke can react. He's a blur of brown and orange as he moves on the ground, almost invisible except for the aftermath of a slither in his wake. _And isn't this fucking brilliant_, Sasuke thinks. Just when he needs Daichi to follow orders most, the coral snake goes ahead and does what he always does—makes his own decisions. He summoned Daichi because out of all the snakes, Daichi has the quickest bite. His venom is not as poisonous as Kanaye's or Fudo's, but Daichi is a good line of defense.

But Daichi is also notoriously inept at following orders, and Sasuke should have seen this coming a mile away. Of course the snake would volunteer to scout ahead.

_Daichi_, Sasuke communicates forcefully, but the snake is already vanishing beyond his sight. Sasuke follows, abandoning his low stance in favor of jogging silently after the snake. Daichi is Sasuke's to protect, and if either Itachi or the other Uchiha finds him, the snake doesn't stand much of a chance against them, and Sasuke cannot—he will not—lose another one of his own. _Daichi, get back here. **Daichi**_—

"What are you doing?" the Nidaime demands loudly. "What the hell do you think you're—"

_Daichi_, Sasuke communicates, pausing behind a small birch. There is silence, so Sasuke tries again, _Retreat. They outnumber you_—

There are two, Daichi says finally from somewhere ahead of him.

Retreat, Sasuke orders forcefully. Retreat or I swear, Daichi, I will pull out your fucking fangs—

_There are two,_ Daichi repeats, and his marvel is plain as daylight. _There are two of your blood. Two of your brothers are here._

Sasuke crouches on the ground, fingers digging into the earth to stay balanced. He doesn't have nearly enough cover to advance on two Akatsuki members (_two Uchihas_), but he can't walk away, not when he's so close to Itachi and another one of his clan. He can't turn around, not now.

The Nidaime appears by Sasuke's side, close enough that Sasuke shivers. "Listen to me. It is not one, but two Akatsuki members in that direction. You are outnumbered, tired, and not fit to fight the both of them at once. Turn around, boy."

Kakashi has taught Sasuke time and again that there is no cowardice, no shame in a strategic retreat. But there is, Sasuke knows. If he walks away from this, then how the hell is he supposed to live with himself? He can't wake up a single day without remembering Itachi's taunts and his duty to his clan, can't think about Naruto without remembering the wet crunch of the blond's flesh against his hand…Just how many more of these disappointments does he have to shoulder?

_Will you follow?_ Daichi asks after a moment, even as the Yondaime pleads, "For Naruto, Uchiha."

Sasuke can measure his life in long intervals, each separated by a chance meeting with his brother. Under Orochimaru's care, he greeted every day with the same thought: He's still alive, still alive, that son of a bitch is still alive.

He'd returned to Konoha with Kakashi's words ringing in his ears, and when he got back, it was to Naruto's blue, blue eyes. It has been easy since returning to Konoha for Sasuke to push Itachi further back in his thoughts, because Sasuke has started to measure each day by the number of times Naruto smiles at him. And just like that, his world has gone from a chorus of Itachi, Itachi, Itachi to Naruto, Naruto, Naruto, always, forever Naruto. He doesn't have the luxury to live his life that way, though. He cannot be distracted, not by Naruto, not by anyone.

_Will you follow?_ Daichi prods again. _Should I retreat?_

His brother is here, he's sensed it, and Daichi has just confirmed it. And now, this close—_No_, Sasuke communicates back and reaches into his holster for a kunai. He breathes through his nose, slow and easy. _Where are you?_

_Forward_, Daichi directs, and Sasuke follows the tug and pull of Daichi's presence in his mind carefully, ignoring the ghosts' pleas to retreat. Ten feet, twenty, twenty-two, twenty-five, thirty…and each inch he crawls closer, the ghosts fall more and more silent. _Where_? Sasuke asks, even though he doesn't have to. He can sense his snakes wherever they are, but there are a thousand and one thoughts going through his mind and he can't stop his palms from sweating. _Where are you, Daichi?_

_Forward_, Daichi repeats, and doesn't say a word about Sasuke's nervousness. He must feel it though, because it's strong enough to nearly blur Sasuke's vision. The trees are thicker here, but still not enough to provide Sasuke with enough cover. He can't afford a jutsu, not without alerting Itachi of his presence. All he has to rely on are the shadows of the early dawn and his years of practice trying to sneak up on Itachi, Shisui and Kakashi undetected.

Sasuke follows, gripping his kunai hard enough that his knuckles turn white. _And then what._ Once he gets to Itachi, what exactly is his plan? To fight? He's high on adrenaline, can barely think past the fact that Itachi is here, here, here, a few yards away, and with him, another Uchiha.

"Uchiha," the Yondaime tries again. "I'm asking you, for the sake of my son, for the sake of Konoha—"

_Forward_, Daichi says, and he's only three feet away now. Sasuke gets on all fours and presses close to the ground. Just for a moment, Sasuke leans his forehead against the ground, breathes in deep and easy. He can feel the dirt caking onto the sweat on his forehead, on his upper lip, his palms. His thighs are burning with the effort of staying so still. He counts:

_One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine—_

_Ten_.

_Forward_.

Daichi meets him halfway, slithers up Sasuke's arm to coil around Sasuke's bicep. _A tree two feet to the left should provide cover,_ he offers, and Sasuke follows, barely breathing now.

He sees them in profile. Itachi sitting on a fallen log, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. There is another man wearing a mask with a spiral design, gesturing at Itachi. Now and then, Itachi will angle his head forward or make a gesture with his hand as if to say go on.

_Kin-Butcher,_ Sasuke thinks, and stills at the thought. Since when had Itachi become Kin-Butcher to him? Daichi and the others had given Itachi that name, because one day, when Rin asked about his father and his mother, Sasuke had explained to her what happened. _Kin-Butcher_, Rin had spit, eyes narrowed into slits, and she understood what that meant. Because Rin, for all her bravado, had lost two of her sons to her cannibalistic, crazed uncle. She lost a daughter too—a precious, precious daughter, and they are so rare in the snake clan.

He used to be _Brother_ once, Sasuke remembers, and it had been a wonderful privilege to be able to call Itachi that. He was the pride of Konoha, the heir to the Uchiha Clan; Sasuke's brother, who taught him how to throw a kunai.

Sasuke's memories of Itachi are vague at best. It's been over eight years, and at this point, Sasuke can't distinguish between his memories and his fantasies. He has pictures of himself on Itachi's shoulders, of Itachi and himself in the Naka River splashing around, of Itachi and himself curled up on the living room futon under the same blanket. Sasuke remembers waiting for Itachi to come home from work, because at eight, all he could understand was that his big brother was suddenly no longer available to play with him. He's not sure about any of these memories anymore, because he's not sure who his brother is. His own blood, and Itachi couldn't be more of a stranger.

"Retreat," Sarutobi urges quietly. "They haven't noticed you yet, Sasuke. You should—"

"Wait," the Shodaime breathes suddenly, and he steps forward into the clearing. He approaches the two, stepping close to the masked man, head tilted at a fraction. "Brother," the Nidaime calls out loudly. "What are you doing?"

"Wait a minute," the Shodaime says, and he steps even closer to the man in the mask, who stops talking suddenly. The man takes a step back, visibly shivering, and then starts talking again. It's a slow, rambling talk, the kind that would usually bore Itachi. This is the third Uchiha, Sasuke realizes, and for the first time since laying eyes on him; turns away from Itachi and shifts his gaze towards the other man. He doesn't recognize him, can't even sense his chakra. It's almost like he doesn't exist, but there he is, talking, talking, talking.

Itachi might be patient, but he rarely sits through people lecturing him. The only person he ever paid any real consideration to was Mikoto. He used to sit at Mikoto's kitchen table and listen to her concerns, fears and worries, let her kiss his cheek, his forehead and flick his nose with a laugh. Mikoto was an affectionate woman, disregarded her husband's every reprimand not to pamper her sons, and took great joy in bundling her children close for hugs and kisses for any given occasion. Itachi was reserved when he was young, but he still responded to Mikoto. He listened to her, sat with her when she wanted company, and let her pull him close before each and every single one of his missions, even patrols.

Sasuke remembers waking up one day and finding his mother by Itachi's bed, smoothing away the hair from Itachi's face and saying, _You want lamb or chicken soup_?

And Itachi had croaked out, shifting closer to Mikoto's warmth, _Chicken soup, Ma_. And then, _Go away, Sasuke. You'll get sick too_. (How, how, how, _how_ did he find it in himself to kill her, then?)

The masked man continues to talk, and Itachi does not move. A minute, two, and then three full minutes of the man talking—and if Itachi is sitting through this, then this man, whoever he is, must be important and must command his respect. Which means—

The Uchiha heir. This is the Uchiha Clan's elder. _Dragon heir_, that's what this man is. Heir apparent to the secret of the dragons, captain and guard of the Uchiha forces. Itachi is honor- and duty-bound to obey him.

"Brother," the Nidaime tries again, sounding apprehensive. "We need to go." It's been over three minutes now, and Sasuke's grip on his kunai is starting to get loose with sweat. Sasuke is good at surveillance, but Itachi will notice him eventually. He always does.

"Just a minute," the Shodaime calls back again, and it's odd to hear his voice so loud when Sasuke is trying his best to be absolutely and utterly still. "Give me a minute."

"We should go back," the Nidaime mutters under his breath.

"Tobirama, over here," the Shodaime says suddenly, loudly. The Nidaime reacts almost immediately, blurring to stand next to the Shodaime. He places a hand on the Shodaime's shoulder, tugging him back towards Sasuke. The Shodaime resists, and the two fall into a hurried conversation.

"What are they doing?" Sarutobi breathes, taking a step towards the other ghosts. "What is Tobirama-sensei doing?"

"If you die here," the Yondaime pleads. "Who will take this information back to Konoha? They will come for Naruto, these men. They _will_ breach our borders—"

_There is no cowardice in a strategic retreat_, Sasuke repeats to himself, and it's like Kakashi is by his side saying these words to him again. He walked away before, laid waste to an entire village and dragged Orochimaru's rotting corpse across a continent. He is a better man than Itachi because Kakashi has taught him better. His target is not Itachi, not even this third Uchiha. It is Akatsuki, and their leader, Pein.

_This is not cowardice_, Daichi's voice filters into his mind, his coil tightening around Sasuke's bicep. _This is just not a fight worth dying for. There is a war to be fought. This is just a battle._

_Yes_, Sasuke agrees, and begins the process of convincing himself to retreat from Itachi. He will retreat, return to Konoha and take this information back with him. There is a third Uchiha, which means he will need Kakashi by his side to fight this battle.

There is a lull in Itachi's conversation, and then, the masked man takes a few steps back, making an open-armed gesture. He vanishes an instant later, without performing a single seal.

Itachi is silent for a few moments. And then, his voice loud in the silence of the coming dawn, "It's rude to eavesdrop." He turns his head to look at Sasuke, the red of his Mangekyou almost black in the dim light of the early morning.

Daichi slithers off his arm almost immediately, disappearing into grass with a slight rustle. Sasuke straightens to his feet. There is no cowardice, Kakashi taught him, but Kakashi has never had a brother like Itachi, has never had to look his older brother in the eyes and think, Kin-Butcher.

Itachi straightens to his feet. He makes a gesture, as if to invite Sasuke to come closer.

"Retreat," the Yondaime orders.

This is not a fight worth dying for, Sasuke knows, mostly because it won't even be a fight. He'll get slaughtered, hundreds of miles from Konoha during a surveillance mission. But it is not a fight worth walking away from either. It is not worth it to run, because Itachi will eventually catch up, and that death will be far, far more humiliating than this one. So Sasuke raises his chin to meet Itachi's gaze and steps into the clearing even as Sarutobi breathes his name, sounding resigned and mournful.

Sasuke walks up to Itachi, stopping only a few feet away from him. He's spent his entire life looking up to Itachi, so it's a surprise that when he is finally facing the man, he's at eye-level. An inch taller even, broader in the shoulders too.

"You've grown," Itachi says finally. _You've aged_, Sasuke wants to say. There are circles under Itachi's eyes, and he looks older than his twenty-one years.

Daichi stirs lightly from somewhere in the field. _Kin-Butcher's wounded deeply._ he communicates. _He breathes with great difficulty._ Great difficulty for Itachi is only a slight clench of his jaw when he talks. _He bleeds freely_, Daichi continues. _The stench of blood is thick in the air. The garments conceal it._

"You're wounded," Sasuke counters, and Itachi becomes utterly still, hiding what little discomfort he had been showing. That's why he looks so tired, Sasuke realizes. He's lost blood, enough that his chakra is no longer under his control like always.

This is not the Itachi that Sasuke knows. Itachi does not get wounded, does not get strained, does not yield in the face of something as simple as blood loss. _You are an Uchiha,_ Fugaku had taught his sons. _That means something_. And this is what it means, Sasuke realizes. Standing in a clearing, hundreds of miles from the home they swore to protect, and counting the heartbeats until one of them pulls a weapon and draws blood.

It would be easy—easier—to kill Itachi right now. But...(_Go away, Sasuke. You'll get sick too._) Sasuke doesn't let himself think too hard. Just says, "You need care."

"Just a scratch," Itachi deflects, making a dismissive gesture. And because Itachi is incapable of having a normal, logical conversation, he changes topics entirely. "My friend is headed towards Urausu. After a woman."

They know about Karin following them. Which explains why the two had shifted directions towards Urausu. Sasuke had estimated another ten or so miles before he caught up with Itachi and the other Uchiha, but their paths have crossed. They were doubling back to track Karin.

If they're the men Sasuke thinks they are, they will follow Karin's scent until they reach her. But Karin is not stupid. She is probably long gone by now. All that's left is for Sasuke to get out from under Akatsuki's crosshairs, long enough to deliver this news back to Konoha. It's difficult enough to defend against one rogue Uchiha. Against two, it will be nearly impossible.

He needs to return to Konoha. Itachi is a concern for another day. _And besides,_ Sasuke thinks. He's not the kind of man to fight an injured man. Kakashi has taught him better. "You should take care of that wound." Sasuke jerks a thumb over his shoulder, pointing south. "There's good healers in Kitahiroshima, ten miles south of here."

Itachi tilts his head slightly, considering. It feels strange saying these things to Itachi, but although Sasuke has never been the best of sons, he has always—_always_—been a good brother. Finally, Itachi takes another breath. "You look like Shisui," he admits finally, voice pitched low, and that was the last thing Sasuke expected to hear. "Like Uncle Kyoguku."

"Steady," Sarutobi mutters, standing close to Sasuke now. His hand is icy-cold on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke breathes deeply through his nose, trying to control his anger. Itachi has no right, _no right,_ to talk about Shisui or Uncle Kyoguku or anyone. "You should take care of that wound," Sasuke repeats, because he doesn't trust himself to say anything else.

Itachi spreads his hands, lips quirking up in something of a smile. "Here I am." He pauses a beat and adds, tilting his head at that angle again (just like their mother, Sasuke remembers. That's who Itachi takes after; their mother). "Best shot you'll get, Sasuke."

Sasuke can feel his nails digging into his palms. Itachi is here, standing four feet from him. He is duty-bound to revenge his father's killing, but several hundred miles away, Naruto is waiting. Kakashi is waiting, and so is Sakura.

Konohagakure is waiting, and Sasuke will not disappoint her a second time.

_We stand sentinel,_ Kakashi explained to him once, because Fugaku was dead, and there was no one else to explain the duties of an Uchiha to Sasuke but a one-eyed outsider. _That is what the Sharingan do._

He is a better man than this, Sasuke reminds himself. He will not let the Uchiha name be reduced to madmen slaughtering each other. There is a time and place for revenge, and this is not it. He will give respect, and he will gain it back in turn, and he will redeem the name of what was once the greatest dojutsu in the Continent. _Your ancestors were a great people,_ the Shodaime had told him. He is duty-bound to honor his mother's death, but he is the last of three, and he will not go down in this pathetic field, miles and miles away from the redwood forests.

"There's no battle to be fought here," Sasuke says finally and takes a step back.

Itachi's face goes blank. He is silent for a moment before saying, "Detour around the Village of Sound before heading towards Konoha. You'll avoid the others."

"Is he…" the Nidaime trails off, sounding unsure. "Could be a trap."

Growing up, Sasuke learned that Itachi never lied. He only withheld the truth. So this—whatever this is—must be truthful. And besides, Sasuke thinks. If Itachi wanted him dead, Itachi would do the honors himself. "The other man—"

"Uchiha Madara," the Shodaime supplements, just as Itachi says, "Tobi."

"Madara is _dead_," the Nidaime hisses immediately. And it takes Sasuke's brain less than a fraction of a second to recognize the name. Uchiha Madara, one of Sasuke's ancestors and one of the first successful Sharingan users according to the legends. By all accounts, the man has to be dead. Sasuke hadn't bothered to check for his name, because Uchiha Madara was a traitor, and traitors have no place in the Uchiha Clan's family tree or on the dragon stone.

This also means that Madara is over two hundred years old. "I buried the fucking—"

"Tobirama," the Shodaime chides, frowning at the Nidaime's choice of words. He looks at Sasuke and says again, "Uchiha Madara." He takes a breath. "I can recognize my best friend, boy. That's him."

"We should go," Sarutobi says quietly.

"Tobi will be back soon," Itachi mutters, turning his face in the direction of Urausu. He looks like Fugaku in profile. He has the same strong jaw and defined nose, the features that make Uchiha men so distinct. This is my brother, Sasuke tells himself. And this is him performing his duties as an older brother. He's saying: _Run_. "He travels fast."

If he wanted to, Itachi could have attacked him by now. But he hasn't. Instead, he's telling Sasuke You look like Shisui and Tobi will be back soon. Which means—"Madara," Sasuke says suddenly, and Itachi's gaze snaps back to him, Mangekyou swirling.

"Uchiha," the Yondaime growls. "What are you—"

"Namikaze," the Shodaime says sharply, and the Yondaime immediately falls into a reluctant silence.

Sasuke stands his ground, swallows on the feelings crawling up his throat. Itachi is wounded, bleeding freely, and despite it all, he is still _Kin-Butcher_. But his gaze holds the weight of the Uchiha Clan hierarchy. He is Sasuke's brother, his elder, and at one point, the obvious choice for Clan Elder. Nearly a decade, and still Sasuke feels the same way he felt when he accidentally ruined Itachi's ANBU report. Any minute now, Itachi will tell him to go up to his room and think about what he'd just done.

Itachi's hand twitches, coming up to rest on the hilt of his sword. Sasuke takes a breath and slowly reaches for his kunai holster, fingers resting lightly on the hilt of a kunai. "Easy," the Nidaime counsels, holding up a hand.

"His name is Tobi," Itachi corrects carefully, and his Mangekyou is still swirling with his chakra. It makes the hair on the back of Sasuke's neck prickle, because he knows the full damage a Mangekyou can do.

"He should be dead," Sasuke presses on, because for some reason, he is still alive. If he tries hard enough, he might be able to get a bit more information out of Itachi. "He a zombie or something? Do I need to carry a silver cross?"

Itachi raises an eyebrow, and in that instant, Sasuke feels like an utter and absolute moron. In his mind, zombies and vampires seemed like a feasible alternative. What with the seeing ghosts thing and all. But now that he's said it aloud… "It was a joke."

"It wasn't very funny," Itachi comments dryly.

"Yeah well, no one said you were the one with the sense of humor," Sasuke mutters, making a face. He regrets it an instant later, because despite his words, Itachi's lips twitches up in something of a smile. He looks amused, but it only lasts for a second before he switches topics again. "Kisame and the others are in Otogakure."

The Nidaime steps closer to Itachi, close enough that Itachi's breath comes out in a sudden fog. Itachi does not shiver, though, just breathes out in little puffs of smoke. He is severely injured, then, if his breathing is this labored. "What is he playing at?" the Nidaime asks finally. "Why is he telling you this?"

This is no way for a Kin-Butcher to act. "And Madara?" Sasuke asks.

Itachi shrugs, a half-aborted motion that ends with a wince. "He'll return soon. When he does, he'll notice a Konoha ANBU following us. You can't hide so well for much too long, Sasuke."

The Nidaime curses. "So it's him, then," he hisses. "How the fuck did he—"

"I met him once," the Yondaime breathes suddenly. He steps towards the Sandaime, gesturing widely in the air as if his thoughts are going faster than he can articulate. "When my wife was giving birth to Naruto. Do you remember, Sarutobi-sensei?"

"We moved her to a safe house," Sarutobi finishes, eyes going wide with the memory.

The Yondaime picks up the story again. "When Kushina gave birth to Naruto, the danger was that her seal would weaken. I was there to oversee it, but the perimeters were breached—"

Sarutobi interrupts with a hurried, "Minato, you said you met a masked man…"

"He was fast," the Yondaime says, more to himself than anyone else. Sasuke and the other ghosts are all watching the Yondaime now. This is not Madara's first attempt at Naruto, then. Which means he has more of an advantage than Sasuke ever imagined. He's not new at this _Kill Naruto_ business. He's been trying and failing for sixteen years. Sasuke's mind races as his brain puzzles together all the details: Akatsuki is the product of Madara's delusions and malice, not Pein, not Itachi, not anyone else. The target is not Pein. It's Madara.

"He copied my jutsus," the Yondaime continues. "I thought it was just his ability, but I didn't make the connection until now. I had the hardest time tracking him because his chakra was practically dormant. It was the Sharingan Mangekyou. That was _Madara_. He's been—"

"—attention?" And before Sasuke can react, Itachi is reaching forward to flick a finger against his forehead. "Sasuke."

Sasuke freezes. Itachi has done this before, when they were younger.

"Go on," Itachi orders and presses his forefinger into Sasuke's forehead again, pushing this time. Sasuke stumbles back a step, not because Itachi pushed particularly hard, but because he's not expecting this. He's been expecting hostility, maybe even to get trashed around just so Itachi can prove his point again. Not this—whatever this is.

"You should go," the Shodaime suggests, and there's a cool touch on his shoulder. "Your brother has offered you amnesty."

_Is that what this is?_

Itachi's gaze lingers another moment. "There is no battle to be fought here," Itachi echoes, and this time, when his lips twitches up into a half-smile, it stays.

"Yeah," Sasuke agrees and takes a step back. And because Itachi is his brother (Kin-Butcher, yes, but _Brother_ first), Sasuke adds, "Follow the Ikeda River nine miles south. Kitahiroshima is by the mouth, a mile or so from the riverbank." Feeling awkward, he adds, "Ask for Okeida, he always has good painkillers. For your—" He gestures at Itachi's chest. "Scratch."

Itachi takes a step back as well, half-turning in his departure. He doesn't immediately leave, but lingers for a moment. "Another time then, our disagreement."

So the fratricide is still on the schedule. "Sure. Another time."

Itachi watches Sasuke for another moment, and then, his hands come up to form a jutsu. "Watch, Sasuke," he instructs, and Sasuke's Sharingan automatically flares to life. He follows the seals carefully, because Itachi is going at his usual breakneck speed. It's nothing like Sasuke has ever seen, a strange combination of seals that has Sasuke wondering if Itachi will whip out some crazy katon jutsu that will burn him to a crisp. Itachi's hands slow slightly, the only indication that the jutsu is about to come to an end. Sasuke glances up from Itachi's hands briefly, catches Itachi's gaze. "Crane seal to finish," Itachi instructs, and then—

He vanishes without even a hitch of chakra. There is no evidence of his presence, not even a cloud of smoke that usually characterizes translocation jutsus like this. It would be hard to follow someone using this jutsu.

Not a katon jutsu, certainly not something intended to kill. It was just one of Itachi's side-lessons. _Watch, Sasuke_, Itachi used to say, taking Sasuke's pencil away and writing out Sasuke's long division with infinite patience. _You carry over the difference, like this_...

Sasuke's hands come up to form the seals. Itachi had told him, _Leave_. Now, he'd showed him how to get out as well.

He performs the jutsu perfectly.

_End of Part Seven_


End file.
